'If this were true...': Did Pakistan betray US by allowing Iran to park spy aircraft? Trump aide says...

Trump administration has issued first response on a report claiming that Pakistan may have allowed Iran to park military and spy aircraft despite positioning itself as a neutral party. Trump aide United States Senator Lindsey Graham said in a statement that if the report is true, then "a complete reevaluation of Pakistan's role" will be required. He also highlighted the statements of Pakistani officials against Israel and said that he wouldn't be shocked if this is true. This might be a reference to Pakistan saying that the Iran-US talks included Israel stopping its action in Lebanon and Netanyahu denying any such thing. While Pakistan's role is now under scanner, China and Russia have also offered to help in their own way. Notably, Ebrahim Rezaei, a senior Iranian lawmaker criticized Pakistan, stating it lacks the necessary credibility to act as a neutral mediator in negotiations giving more weightage to US interests.

The US and Iran met in Islamabad on Apr 11 and held approximately 15-hour marathon talks but couldn't strike a deal. The American delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance and Iranian side was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. While Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir earned the praise of Trump, the visit did not result in a long-lasting peace deal. Now, CBS News is reporting that Pakistan may have “quietly allowed" Iranian military and surveillance aircraft to park on its airfields. CBS quoted American officials who also alleged US officials further alleged that Tehran deployed multiple aircraft, including an Iranian Air Force RC-130 — a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft — to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan near Rawalpindi.

The fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US has not been able to materialise into a full-time deal with both sides rejecting each other's proposal. On May 10, Trump said that he did not like Iran's proposal saying it is "TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE". Tehran had responded to Washington's 14-point proposal that it had sent in May first week. According to the proposal, Iran would have to agree not to develop a nuclear weapon and stop all uranium enrichment for at least 12 years. It would also be required to hand over its estimated 440kg (970lb) stock of uranium enriched to 60 percent. In return, the US would gradually lift sanctions, release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets and halt its naval blockade of Iranian ports.

In April last week, Iran had forwarded a three stage proposal via Pakistan which Washington rejected. The first stage demanded a total end to the war, specifically hostilities on Hezbollah in Lebanon. The second stage focused on lifting the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and restoring maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The third stage covered the contentious negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program are postponed. Tehran said that third stage would begin only after the ceasefire is established and the Strait is reopened. The US had rejected this plan.

While China's role in mediating between Iran and the US is not known publically, there are widespread speculations that China might have convinced Iran to come to the negotiating table amid raging war with the US and Israel in mid March. While Pakistan was the official mediator, several visits by Pakistan's top leaders to Beijing and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to the country sparked the rumours. China has not openly accepted its role about mediation but has maintained that it has been working “tirelessly for peace.” China is a key customer for Iranian oil, defying sanctions imposed by the United States as Washington seeks to choke off revenue to Tehran.

Russia has offered to offered to help the US in handling Iranian uranium. It said that the entire exercise would be overseen by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "“Our offers are still on the table. First, we could see how much uranium there is. Second, it would all be under the control of the IAEA. And third, the work would be organised under the supervision of the IAEA. We just want to make a possible contribution," Russian President Vladimir Putin said on May 9.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.