Lindsey Graham Says He Doesn’t Trust Pakistan as Iran Mediator After CBS Report

Senator Lindsey Graham told the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defence subcommittee that he does not trust Pakistan after CBS News reported that Pakistan allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields, including the Nur Khan Air Force base.

“Donald Trump has reasserted his support for Pakistan to serve as a mediator between Iran and the United States after Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of the US president, disparaged Islamabad’s diplomacy”

Al Jazeera

Graham asked US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Dan Caine whether such actions would be consistent with Islamabad “being a fair mediator,” and after not receiving a clear answer, he said, “I don't trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them.”

Al Jazeera

Graham added, “No wonder this damn thing is going nowhere,” as he expressed frustration over the ongoing conflict and back-and-forth over ceasefire proposals.

Trump later brushed off the question of whether the US should reconsider Pakistan’s mediation role, saying, “No, they're great,” as he left the White House.

Pakistan dismissed the CBS report as “misleading and sensationalised,” with its Foreign Office saying the Iranian aircraft “arrived during the ceasefire period and bore no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement.”

US President Donald Trump said he was not reconsidering Pakistan’s role as mediator in the Iran conflict after Graham said he does not trust Islamabad.

Trump told reporters, “They’re great,” and said, “I think the Pakistanis have been great,” naming the “Field Marshal [Asim Munir] and the Prime Minister of Pakistan [Shehbaz Sharif].”

Anadolu Ajansı

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Iranian aircraft “arrived during the ceasefire period and bore "no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement,"” and described assertions as “speculative, misleading, and entirely detached from the factual context.”

CBS News reported that days after Trump announced the ceasefire on April 7, Tehran sent multiple aircraft to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan near Rawalpindi, and it said a US official identified an Iranian Air Force RC-130 among the hardware.

The Hill reported that Graham had asked Hegseth whether Iranian aircraft allowed in Pakistan are “consistent with [Pakistan] being a fair mediator,” and Hegseth replied, “I don't want to get in the middle of the negotiations.”

China pressed Pakistan to deepen Iran mediation ahead of Trump-Xi talks, with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi urging Pakistan to “step up its mediation efforts to contribute to … the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the early restoration of regional peace.”

“Washington — As positioned itself as a diplomatic conduit between Tehran and Washington, it quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields, potentially shielding them from American airstrikes, according to U”

CBS News

Wang Yi lauded Pakistan’s efforts in facilitating negotiations between Washington and Tehran and helping to extend the ceasefire in a call with Pakistan’s counterpart Ishaq Dar, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

In a separate report, Anadolu Ajansı said China urged Pakistan to step up US-Iran mediation as Trump set to visit Beijing, citing Wang Yi’s call for Pakistan to contribute to “properly” addressing issues related to opening the Strait of Hormuz.

The same Anadolu Ajansı report said Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran on April 8, followed by critical talks in Islamabad attended by senior delegations on April 11 and 12.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry called the reports “misleading and sensationalized,” while CBS had reported on May 11 that Pakistan allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields, potentially shielding them from US air strikes.