Senator Lindsey Graham is demanding a thorough examination of Pakistan’s diplomatic role following allegations that the country secretly provided safe harbor for Iranian military aircraft during recent tensions.
The South Carolina Republican’s concerns stem from a CBS News investigation published Monday revealing that Pakistan allegedly permitted Iran to relocate several aircraft to Pakistani military installations to shield them from potential American strikes.
“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 wrote on X. “Given some of the prior statements by Pakistani defense officials towards Israel, I would not be shocked if this were true.”
The senator’s reference appears linked to inflammatory comments made in April by Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who characterized Israel as “a curse for humanity” and a “cancerous state.”
Graham expressed further skepticism in a follow-up social media post, stating: “I don’t trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them. If they actually do have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me we should be looking maybe for somebody else to mediate. No wonder this damn thing is going nowhere.”
The CBS investigation detailed how Iran moved several aircraft to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan, located near Rawalpindi, in the days following President Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire with Iran in early April.
Intelligence sources told CBS that among the relocated aircraft was an RC-130 reconnaissance plane, a specialized intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules used by Iran’s air force.
The report also indicated that Iran relocated civilian aircraft to Afghanistan, though it remains uncertain whether military planes were also moved there.
Pakistani officials have firmly disputed these accusations. A high-ranking Pakistani official challenged the claims to CBS News, explaining: “Nur Khan base is right in the heart of [the] city, a large fleet of aircrafts parked there can’t be hidden from [the] public eye.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a formal denial Tuesday, rejecting assertions that it provided sanctuary for Iranian military aircraft.
The ministry clarified that “a number of aircraft from Iran and the United States arrived in Pakistan to facilitate the movement of diplomatic personnel, security teams, and administrative staff associated with the talks process.”
“Some aircraft and support personnel remained temporarily in Pakistan in anticipation of subsequent rounds of engagement,” the ministry’s statement continued.
