Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Monday suggested a “complete reevaluation” of Pakistan’s role as a mediator between the United States and Iran after reports that Islamabad allowed Tehran to use its airports to shield military aircraft.
“If this reporting is accurate, it would require a complete reevaluation of the role Pakistan is playing as mediator between Iran, the United States and other parties,” Graham tweeted.
He added, “Given some of the prior statements by Pakistani defense officials towards Israel, I would not be shocked if this were true.”
Pakistan quietly allowed the Islamic Republic to shelter military aircraft on its territory, potentially shielding them from American and Israeli airstrikes, U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter told CBS News on Monday.
Days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire in early April, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force reportedly moved multiple aircraft to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan, including a RC-130 reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering aircraft, a variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport plane.
Iran also sent aircraft to park in Afghanistan, CBS News reported. It was not clear if military aircraft were among those planes, two of the officials said.
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Iranian planes were in the country.
“The Iranian aircraft currently parked in Pakistan arrived during the ceasefire period and bear no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement. Assertions suggesting otherwise are speculative, misleading, and entirely detached from the factual context,” a statement read.
The ministry said a number of aircraft were there to facilitate the movement of diplomatic personnel and security teams ahead of potential renewed peace talks. “Although formal negotiations have not yet resumed, senior-level diplomatic exchanges have continued,” the statement added.
The ministry stressed that Islamabad has acted as an impartial go-between and had been transparent with “all relevant parties.”
Trump told press on Monday at the White House that the Pakistani-brokered truce with the Iranian regime was “unbelievably weak” and “on life support.”
“I would call it the weakest right now after reading the piece of garbage they sent us. I said, ‘I’m not even going to waste my time reading it.’ I would say it’s one of the weakest. Right now, it’s on life support,” he declared.
