President Donald Trump reaffirmed his stance on Pakistan’s role as a mediator in the Iran conflict on Tuesday, despite skepticism from within his own party. Senator Lindsey Graham, a trusted ally of Trump, expressed doubt about Pakistan’s involvement, referencing a report that suggested Pakistan had allowed Iranian military aircraft to be stationed on its airfields, thus shielding them from potential U.S. strikes.
According to Pakistan, both the U.S. and Iran had positioned aircraft in Islamabad as part of logistical support surrounding ceasefire negotiations. These aircraft remained on Pakistani soil in anticipation of further discussions, with Pakistan asserting there was no “preservation arrangement” in place. During a Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee meeting, Senator Graham expressed his distrust, stating, “I don’t trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them,” and suggested that the U.S. should seek an alternative mediator.
Despite these concerns, President Trump dismissed the idea of reevaluating Pakistan’s mediation role. He praised Pakistan’s leadership, saying, “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,” when asked by reporters about the potential need for reconsideration.
The Pakistani embassy in Washington directed inquiries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which clarified that the Iranian planes arrived during the ceasefire period and were not linked to any military or preservation arrangements. The statement from the ministry emphasized that claims suggesting otherwise were “speculative, misleading, and entirely detached from the factual context.”
Reports had indicated that following Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire on April 7, Iran had flown several aircraft to Pakistan’s Nur Khan Air Force Base near Rawalpindi. The specifics of these movements were a point of contention, with anonymous U.S. officials cited in discussions about the military logistics involved.