Pakistan’s mediation role shadowed by Iranian aircraft parked at its airfields
US officials say Pakistan, while presenting itself as a broker between Tehran and Washington, quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft to park at Nur Khan Air Base near Rawalpindi, potentially shielding them from U.S. airstrikes; Afghan officials report Iranian civilian aircraft in Kabul and moves to Herat amid security tensions, while Pakistan publicly denies Nur Khan base claims, highlighting Islamabad’s balancing act between the U.S., Iran, and China as the ceasefire dynamics evolve.