New Delhi: Fresh questions have emerged PakistanAfter allegations surfaced that Tehran had sent military aircraft to protect Pakistani airports from American attacks, its role in the ongoing conflict between America and Iran has become important. device reflects a Saddam Hussein Used during the First Gulf War.The question was raised after a post by US Senator Lindsey Graham said that Pakistan may have hosted Iranian military aircraft following the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran. The allegation has drawn fresh scrutiny of Islamabad’s dual role as a mediator and potential logistical facilitator during the conflict.Pakistan later acknowledged that Iranian military aircraft were present on its soil, but rejected reports that they were moved to avoid US strikes. In a statement on Tuesday, Islamabad said the planes had arrived during a ceasefire period following initial peace talks and that their presence had “no connection with any military contingency or protection arrangement.”According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, aircraft from both Iran and the United States landed in the country following the ceasefire to facilitate diplomatic personnel, security teams and administrative staff associated with the talks held in Islamabad on 11 and 12 April. It said some aircraft remained because a round of talks was expected in the future, but talks never materialized.This clarification comes after a report by CBS News which claimed that days after US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire in early April, several Iranian aircraft, including Iranian Air Force RC-130 reconnaissance aircraft, flew to the Noor Khan airbase near Rawalpindi, which is close to the Pakistan Army headquarters. The report prompted Graham to call for a “complete reassessment” of Pakistan’s role as a mediator in the conflict.

A historical example of the Gulf War

If the allegation that Iran has flown aircraft to Pakistan is proven true, it would be a wonderful wartime example of 1991.During the Gulf War, when the US-led coalition launched Operation Desert Storm against Iraq, Saddam Hussein ordered a significant portion of the Iraqi Air Force to be sent to Iran to prevent destruction on the ground.Iraq was then facing a coalition of 42 nations, which had air superiority and began systematically destroying Iraqi military infrastructure.At the time, Iraq had one of the largest armies in the world, created during the eight-year Iran–Iraq War. According to archival accounts cited by the Wilson Center, as coalition airstrikes intensified, Baghdad transferred 115 military aircraft to Iran.Aircraft included advanced fighters and bombers such as Mirage F-1s, Su-24s, Su-22s, MiG-23s and MiG-29s – enough to equip a small national air force.The move was seen as an effort to preserve Iraq’s remaining air capability after coalition attacks crippled Iraq’s air force and air defense systems.However, this strategy backfired diplomatically. After the war ended, Iran returned only a portion of the aircraft to Iraq, retaining most of the aircraft as compensation for losses suffered during the Iran–Iraq War. The issue remained a point of contention between Baghdad and Tehran for years.

Why is Iran also adopting the same strategy?

The current allegation comes as Iran’s air force appears to have suffered serious damage during the recent US-Israeli campaign. US and Israeli officials have claimed to have destroyed key Iranian air assets, while Israeli military footage reportedly shows an advanced Iranian trainer aircraft being destroyed by an F-35.Since Tehran is unable to effectively counter Allied air dominance, moving valuable aircraft outside its territory would be a logical wartime contingency, especially if the goal is to preserve strategic assets for the post-conflict period.However, Pakistan insists that the presence of Iranian aircraft during the ceasefire talks was related only to diplomatic logistics and not the protection of military assets. It also reported that senior-level diplomatic exchanges with Iran continued despite the halt in formal talks, including a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, which was necessary to maintain existing logistics arrangements.Whether the aircraft were for diplomacy or protection, the optics are politically sensitive. Islamabad had positioned itself as a mediator between Washington and Tehran.If it is perceived as simultaneously providing operational sanctuary to Iranian military assets, this role may come under greater international scrutiny.