Sources say Iranian and US planes arrived at the airbase for diplomatic logistics related to the Islamabad talks.
Pakistani leaders are hosting the Iranian delegation for talks with the United States in Islamabad on Friday evening. Photo: Reuters
A report of CBS News Claiming that Pakistan allowed Iranian military planes to park at an airbase to protect them from possible US strikes is “misleading” and based on a distorted interpretation of routine diplomatic logistics, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The clarification came after an article on
According to sources with knowledge of the diplomatic process, the temporary presence of a limited number of Iranian aircraft at the Nur Khan air base was linked to the ongoing backdoor diplomacy and administrative arrangements surrounding the Islamabad talks between Tehran and Washington.
“The parking of a few Iranian planes at Nur Khan air base has been exaggerated by some critics of regional and world peace,” sources said.
The officials explained that after the ceasefire and during the first round of Islamabad talks, several planes from the United States and Iran arrived in Pakistan carrying diplomatic and security personnel. These aircraft remained stationed at Nur Khan Air Base for logistical and administrative purposes.
Sources said some Iranian planes and personnel remained in Pakistan after the first round of talks, in anticipation of a second phase of negotiations.
“Although the talks did not resume directly, the Iranian foreign minister visited Islamabad twice after the first round, and the security and administrative arrangements already in place facilitated these visits,” sources added.
They further revealed that US aircraft and security teams had also traveled to Pakistan for expected follow-up missions, although US personnel and aircraft were later transferred to US regional bases after a few days.
The officials stressed that Pakistan acted as a neutral and impartial mediator throughout the process and provided equal logistical and administrative support to Tehran and Washington in an effort to advance regional peace.
“Pakistan has remained completely transparent with both sides and has always taken both sides into confidence whenever ambiguity arises,” sources said, adding that Islamabad would continue to pursue the same policy in future.
Dismissing suggestions that the Iranian planes were safe from possible military action, sources noted that the planes arrived during a ceasefire period and not amid active hostilities.
“Iranian planes arrived in Pakistan during the ceasefire, and no Iranian planes were targeted by the US during this period, even in Iran,” sources said. “Therefore, linking the stationing of these aircraft to protection against airstrikes is completely baseless. »
They added that some sections of the media are trying to sensationalize a routine diplomatic development. “Clearly, certain quarters want to push the region and the world towards a new cycle of violence and have created a story out of nothing,” sources say.
They reiterated that Pakistan remained committed to facilitating dialogue between Tehran and Washington and would continue to play a “constructive and active role” in seeking a negotiated settlement in the interest of regional and global peace and security.
