Pakistan helped hide Iranian military planes: Nur Khan kept at airbase to protect it from US attacks, Pakistan denies allegations

During the US-Iran conflict, Pakistan provided space to Iranian military aircraft at its airbase. This claim has been made by CBS News in its report. The report quoted US officials as saying that a few days after the ceasefire was announced in April, Iran sent several aircraft to the Pakistan Air Force's Noor Khan airbase. The airbase is considered to be an important military base of Pakistan located near Rawalpindi. The report said that the planes sent included an RC-130 aircraft of the Iranian Air Force. This is believed to be a version of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft with reconnaissance and surveillance missions. A senior Pakistani official denied the claims made in the report. In a conversation with CBS News, he said that the Noor Khan airbase is located in the middle of the city and it is not possible to hide a large number of planes there. The report claims that Iran has also sent some civilian planes to Afghanistan. An Afghan civil aviation official claimed that a Mahan Air plane arrived in Kabul before the war began. The plane remained at Kabul airport after Iranian airspace was closed. In March, tensions between the Pakistan and Taliban governments escalated, raising fears of an attack on the Kabul airport. After this, the Taliban's civil aviation officials sent the Mahan Air plane to Herat airport near the Iranian border for security reasons. The Taliban's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, denied the presence of Iranian planes in Afghanistan. Pakistan does not want to offend Iran and China, on the one hand, is presenting itself as a mediator and stabilizer against the United States. On the other hand, it is trying to avoid offending Iran and China. The report states that Pakistan's military dependence on China has increased significantly in the last decade. According to a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, between 2020 and 2024, 80% of Pakistan's major weapons were supplied to China. The first round of talks between Iran and the United States was held in Islamabad on April 11-12. The talks lasted for 21 hours but failed. The two could not reach an agreement on control of the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear program. Iran on Sunday submitted a proposal to the US through Pakistan, which Trump completely rejected. According to the report, the resolution called for an end to the war, ensuring maritime security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, lifting sanctions and negotiating a nuclear program. The United States sent a 14-point proposal to Iran this week, with the condition that it hand over enriched uranium. Under this, Iran will have to stop uranium enrichment for at least 12 years and hand over about 440 kg of 60% enriched uranium to the United States. In return, the United States will ease sanctions, release billions of dollars in Iran's frozen assets, and lift a naval blockade of Iranian ports. According to reports, Iran is not ready to fully compromise on its nuclear program and highly enriched uranium.