Pakistan · 14 May, 2026 · 3 min read
Pakistan Rejects CBS News Claim of Iranian Military Aircraft at Nur Khan Airbase
Pakistan rejects CBS report alleging Iranian aircraft parked at Nur Khan, calling claims misleading. Pakistan emphasizes its neutral mediation between Tehran and Washington.
CBS narrative vs Pakistan denial of military shielding.
8 of 11 outlets skipped it: taliban denied Iranian aircraft were present in Afghanistan..
18outlets compared
Same story, two versions
tap a side to read it in full
ynetnews
“may have helped shield some of Tehran's remaining military and aviation assets”Read the original ↗
WION
“no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement.”Read the original ↗
Same facts imply either de-escalation support or force-protection.
Pakistan denies aircraft claims
Pakistan rejected a CBS News report alleging Iranian military aircraft were present at Nur Khan Airbase, calling the claims “misleading” and “sensationalist,” and said aircraft from Iran and the US landed to facilitate the movement of diplomats, security personnel, and administrative teams during ceasefire-period talks. The Foreign Ministry said Islamabad “categorically reject[s] the CBS News report regarding the arrival of Iranian aircraft during the ceasefire period as “misleading and sensationalist”,” adding that some aircraft and support staff remained temporarily in Pakistan in anticipation of further rounds of talks.
“Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban, also denied that any Iranian aircraft were present in Afghanistan.”
CBS News, cited by multiple outlets, said the aircraft were moved to Nur Khan Airbase in early April shortly after a ceasefire was announced, and that an Iranian Air Force RC-130 reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering aircraft was among those seen at the base. A Pakistani official denied the report, saying the base is located in the middle of a densely populated urban area, making it impossible to conceal the presence of a large number of foreign aircraft from the public, while Zabihullah Mujahid also denied that any Iranian aircraft were present in Afghanistan.
US officials vs Islamabad
CBS News reported that U.S. officials told it Pakistan “quietly allowed” Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields during Iran’s war with the United States, even as Islamabad publicly positioned itself as a mediator between Tehran and Washington. The same CBS account, as relayed by ynetnews, said days after President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in early April, Tehran sent multiple aircraft to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan, including an Iranian Air Force RC-130, and it described the move as potentially shielding Tehran’s remaining military and aviation assets from possible American airstrikes.Y
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry rejected the framing and said the Iranian aircraft “bear no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement,” while also saying “Some aircraft and support personnel remained temporarily in Pakistan in anticipation of subsequent rounds of engagement.” In Afghanistan, an Afghan civil aviation officer told CBS News that a civilian aircraft operated by Mahan Air remained parked at Kabul airport after Iranian airspace was closed, and Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the presence of any Iranian aircraft, saying, "No, that's not true and Iran doesn't need to do that."
Mediation role under strain
The dispute over aircraft movements is tied to the broader Iran-U.S. ceasefire and talks that Pakistan hosted, with Dawn’s live updates saying Pakistan hosted the first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran in 47 years in April, and that the talks ended without a breakthrough but also without a breakdown. TRT World said a ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement, and it added that the truce was later extended by US President Donald Trump without a set deadline.
In the wake of the CBS report, American Senator Lindsey Graham said that if the reporting is accurate it would require “a complete re-evaluation of the role Pakistan is playing as mediator between Iran, the United States, and other parties,” and he added that he would not be shocked if it were true. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry insisted that “Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace,” while also maintaining that it has acted as an impartial facilitator supporting dialogue and de-escalation efforts and that high-level diplomatic contacts continued even though formal negotiations have not yet resumed.