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Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday categorically rejected a CBS News report claiming Iran had quietly positioned military aircraft at Nur Khan Air Base near Rawalpindi to shield them from potential U.S. airstrikes.
Islamabad called the claims "misleading and sensationalized" and disclosed that aircraft from both Iran and the United States had landed in Pakistan to support the Islamabad peace talks logistics.
"Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace," the foreign ministry statement read.
It said aircraft from Iran and the United States had arrived in Pakistan to "facilitate the movement of diplomatic personnel, security teams, and administrative staff associated with the talks process," with some aircraft and support personnel remaining temporarily "in anticipation of subsequent rounds of engagement."
The ministry said visits by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Islamabad had been facilitated through the same logistical arrangements.
It said the Iranian aircraft currently parked in Pakistan "arrived during the ceasefire period and bear no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement," adding that assertions to the contrary were "speculative, misleading, and entirely detached from factual context."
Citing unnamed U.S. officials, CBS News reported on Monday that days after President Trump announced the April 8 ceasefire, Iran sent multiple aircraft to Nur Khan Air Base, including an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
The officials alleged Pakistan was allowing Iran to shield aviation assets from potential U.S. strikes while publicly serving as a de-escalation broker.
CBS News also reported that Iran sent civilian aircraft to park in Afghanistan, citing two U.S. officials who said it was unclear whether military aircraft were among those flights.
According to an Afghan civil aviation officer quoted by CBS News, a Mahan Air civilian aircraft that landed in Kabul before the war remained there after Iranian airspace closed down. It was later moved to the Herat Airport near the Iranian border after Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul prompted Afghan civil aviation authorities to relocate it. The Taliban's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, denied the presence of any Iranian aircraft in Afghanistan.
A senior Pakistani official told CBS News separately that the Nur Khan Base "is right in the heart of the city, a large fleet of aircraft parked there can't be hidden from public eye."
The statement further said that Pakistan had "consistently acted as an impartial, constructive, and responsible facilitator in support of dialogue and de-escalation, maintaining full transparency and regular communication with all relevant parties."
It said Pakistan "remains committed to supporting all sincere efforts aimed at promoting dialogue, reducing tensions, and advancing regional and global peace, stability, and security."
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