On Tuesday, President Donald Trump confirmed he was not reconsidering Pakistan’s role in mediating the conflict with Iran, despite concerns raised by a key Republican ally. Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent supporter of Trump, expressed distrust towards Islamabad after a report suggested that Pakistan had allowed Iranian military aircraft to use its airfields, allegedly shielding them from potential U.S. air strikes.
The CBS News report cited by Graham claimed that Pakistan had facilitated the parking of Iranian jets at its airbases. In response, Pakistan clarified that both U.S. and Iranian aircraft had been situated in Islamabad as part of logistical arrangements leading up to ceasefire discussions. Some aircraft remained in place in anticipation of further negotiations, but the Pakistani government stressed that this did not imply any formal “preservation arrangement.”
Senator Graham voiced his skepticism during a Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee hearing, stating, “I don’t trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them.” He suggested that if Pakistan were indeed harboring Iranian aircraft to safeguard military assets, it might be necessary to consider another mediator for the conflict.
Despite these concerns, Trump dismissed the idea of reevaluating Pakistan’s mediation role, telling reporters, “No, they’re great. I think the Pakistanis have been great. The Field Marshal [Asim Munir] and the Prime Minister of Pakistan [Shehbaz Sharif] have been absolutely great.” This statement underscored the President’s confidence in Pakistan’s involvement in the peace efforts.
Pakistan’s embassy in Washington redirected inquiries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which reiterated that the Iranian aircraft stationed in Pakistan were there during the ceasefire period and were not linked to any military strategy or preservation. The ministry described any contrary assertions as “speculative, misleading, and entirely detached from the factual context.” Shortly after Trump announced the ceasefire on April 7, anonymous U.S. officials reported that Iran had dispatched several aircraft to Pakistan’s Nur Khan Air Force Base near Rawalpindi.