Iran sent several military aircraft, including a reconnaissance plane, to a strategically important Pakistani airbase in the days following a ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump in early April, CBS News reported, citing US officials with knowledge of the matter, in what the report described as an apparent effort to protect Iranian military assets from further US airstrikes.
Which Pakistani airbase did Iran use?
Citing unnamed US officials, CBS News said Iran sent the plane to Pakistan’s Nur Khan Air Base, a major military installation near Rawalpindi, a Pakistani garrison city adjacent to the capital Islamabad. The base is one of Pakistan’s most strategically important military airfields and serves as a hub for air mobility and transport operations of the Pakistan Air Force.
What planes did Iran send to Pakistan?
Among the military equipment reportedly flown to Nur Khan was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft, according to CBS News. The RC-130 is intended for surveillance operations, making its reported move into Pakistani territory a particularly notable feature of the CBS News account.
U.S. Central Command referred CBS News to Afghan and Pakistani officials for comment when contacted about the reported movements.
Pakistan denies the claims
A senior Pakistani official strongly opposed the CBS News report.
CBS News quoted an official as saying, “The Nur Khan base is right in the heart of the city, the large fleet of aircraft parked there cannot be hidden from public view.”
The denial reflects a broader effort by Pakistan to manage its position carefully during the Iran-US conflict, presenting itself to Washington as a stabilizing broker while avoiding moves that could alienate Tehran or Beijing, Iran’s most powerful international backer.
Did Iran also send planes to Afghanistan?
CBS News also reported that Iran had sent civilian planes to neighboring Afghanistan, although it was unclear whether any military aircraft were among those flights, according to two officials cited by the outlet.
An Afghan civil aviation official told CBS News that a civilian plane belonging to Iran’s Mahan Air landed in Kabul shortly before the war began. After Iran’s airspace was closed, the plane remained parked at Kabul airport.
When Pakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul in March during a separate period of tension with the Taliban-led government, the Taliban’s civil aviation authorities moved the aircraft to Herat Airport, near the Iranian border, to protect them from potential bombing of Kabul Airport by Pakistani jets. A civil aviation official told CBS News that it was the only Iranian plane left in Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, denied the presence of any Iranian aircraft in the country, telling CBS News, “No, that’s not true and Iran doesn’t have to do that.”
American officials are expressing concern
Pakistan’s strategy to position itself as a neutral mediator between Washington and Tehran appears to have unsettled the Trump administration after the US president outright rejected Iran’s response to his peace overture, a response conveyed to Washington by Islamabad, which has also hosted a direct round of dialogue between the two sides.
CNN reported that individuals close to Trump have expressed concerns about Pakistan’s reliability as a mediator in Iran-US negotiations. According to the report, the administration questions whether Islamabad has faithfully communicated Trump’s displeasure over the stalled peace process to Tehran.
CNN further reported that some officials within the administration believe that Pakistan may have presented Washington with a more favorable characterization of Iran’s negotiating position than the reality on the ground would warrant.
Pakistan’s delicate balancing act between Washington, Tehran and Beijing
The CBS News report situates the aircraft movements within a broader pattern of Pakistani diplomatic maneuvering during the Iran-US conflict. Islamabad has positioned itself as a back channel between Tehran and Washington while deepening its military and economic dependence on China.
A study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute found that China supplied around 80 percent of Pakistan’s major weapons between 2020 and 2024.
CBS News noted that China has publicly celebrated Pakistan’s role in facilitating indirect communication between Tehran and Washington, reflecting Beijing’s own interest in controlling the trajectory of the conflict.
Where do Iran-US truce talks stand?
Iran’s latest proposal to end the war included demands for US war reparations, recognition of Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and lifting of US sanctions, Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported.
Trump publicly rejected Tehran’s counteroffer, calling it “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” without specifying which elements led to his rejection. CBS News reported that minor clashes around the Strait of Hormuz continued on Sunday, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) saying that Iranian drones had again targeted its territory after several attacks earlier in the week. CBS News also reported last week that three US Navy destroyers transiting the Strait of Hormuz were attacked, with the US carrying out retaliatory strikes on two Iranian ports bordering the strait.
The Iran war is expected to feature prominently in Trump’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week, alongside disputes over trade and Taiwan.
