Published 9 hours ago • loading... • Updated 2 hours ago
Pakistan parked Iranian planes on its airbases to escape U.S. airstrikes: CBS News
CBS said US officials believe Tehran moved 1 reconnaissance plane and other aircraft to Pakistan to shield them from possible American strikes.
U.S. officials reported that Pakistan allowed Iranian military aircraft, including a reconnaissance plane, to park at Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan near Rawalpindi shortly after President Donald Trump announced an Iran ceasefire in early April.
Pakistan has long attempted to navigate a difficult balancing act between its security relationship with the United States and its ties with neighboring Iran, a key regional player sharing a roughly 565-mile border with the country.
A senior Pakistan official rejected the Nur Khan claims, stating a large fleet could not be hidden from public view, while Taliban spokesmen denied any Iranian airplanes were present in Afghanistan despite allegations Tehran moved civilian aircraft there.
Reacting to the reporting, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for a complete re-evaluation of Pakistan's role as a mediator between Iran and the United States, saying he would not be shocked if the reports were true.
China supplies about 80 per cent of Pakistan's major arms, and Beijing has publicly celebrated Islamabad's role in facilitating indirect communications between Tehran and Washington while deepening military and economic cooperation with both nations.