Republican Lindsey Graham says he ‘doesn’t trust’ Pakistan, Trump backs its role as mediator in Iran war

A US media report alleged that Pakistan permitted Iran to park military aircraft at Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi during the 2026 US-Iran conflict, allegedl...

What Happened

A US media report alleged that Pakistan permitted Iran to park military aircraft at Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi during the 2026 US-Iran conflict, allegedly shielding them from US strikes during the ceasefire period.
A US senator publicly stated he does "not trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them" and called for finding an alternative mediator for US-Iran peace negotiations, demanding a "complete re-evaluation" of Pakistan's diplomatic role if the CBS allegations proved accurate.
Pakistan's foreign ministry dismissed the report as "misleading" and "sensationalised," stating that Iranian aircraft arrived during the ceasefire period and had "no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency."
US leadership took a starkly different position, praising Pakistan's leadership as having "been absolutely great" and declining to reconsider their role as mediator, underscoring a deliberate US calculation that Pakistan's mediating function outweighs the reputational controversy.
Pakistan has been serving as the primary communication channel between the US and Iran throughout the 2026 conflict — delivering proposals, relaying responses, and brokering ceasefire extensions.
The episode illustrates Pakistan's precarious balancing act: maintaining close ties with both the US (as a security partner and economic aid recipient) and Iran (as a neighbour with shared ethnic and sectarian communities along a 900-km border).

Static Topic Bridges

Nur Khan Airbase: Location and Strategic Significance

PAF Base Nur Khan (formerly known as PAF Base Chaklala) is one of Pakistan's most strategically sensitive military installations.

Location: Chaklala, Rawalpindi — within the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area, adjacent to Pakistan's political and military command centres.
Proximity to sensitive assets: The base is located near the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters (GHQ), the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) headquarters, and the Strategic Plans Division — the body that manages Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.
Role: Serves as the hub of the Pakistan Air Force's air mobility operations; hosts the 35th Air Mobility Wing; operates C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refuelling tankers.
History: Established in 1935 as RAF Chaklala under British India; transferred to Pakistan in 1947; renamed in 2012 to honour Air Marshal Nur Khan (1923–2011), PAF chief during the 1965 India-Pakistan War.
Nuclear command proximity: Some security analysts describe it as connected to Pakistan's nuclear command infrastructure, making any foreign military presence at the base diplomatically and strategically explosive.

Connection to this news: The allegation that Iranian military aircraft used Nur Khan as a safe haven is significant not merely as a diplomatic controversy, but because of the base's proximity to Pakistan's most sensitive command structures — raising questions about the terms and oversight of the arrangement.

Pakistan-Iran Relations: Geography, History, and Balancing Act

Pakistan and Iran share a 909-km border and a complex relationship shaped by geography, sectarian dynamics, and competing regional alignments.

Pakistan has a significant Shia Muslim population (estimated 15–20% of its total population), making Iran's Shia-majority government a source of both religious affinity and political sensitivity.
The border region (Balochistan on Pakistan's side, Sistan-Baluchestan on Iran's side) is home to the Baloch ethnic group, with cross-border insurgencies affecting both countries.
Pakistan and Iran have historically competed for influence in Afghanistan — with Pakistan backing Sunni factions and Iran backing Shia factions — creating periodic friction.
Pakistan has maintained ties with both Saudi Arabia (Sunni Arab anchor) and Iran (Shia Persian anchor), making it one of the few Muslim-majority states to avoid choosing sides in the Sunni-Shia regional divide.
The 2026 Iran war has dramatically increased the stakes of this balancing act, with the US-Pakistan-Iran triangle becoming a central axis of the conflict's diplomatic management.

Connection to this news: Pakistan's decision to allow Iranian aircraft at Nur Khan — if confirmed — would represent the most overt tilt toward Iran in recent memory, directly contradicting its public posture of strict neutrality and creating a domestic political crisis given Pakistan's dependence on US military and economic aid.

Pakistan as Mediator: The 2026 Iran War Framework

Pakistan's emergence as the primary US-Iran intermediary in the 2026 conflict represents a significant diplomatic elevation — and a test of its credibility with both parties.

Pakistan brokered the initial US-Iran ceasefire on April 8, 2026, after weeks of US and Israeli strikes on Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure.
All subsequent diplomatic communications — US ceasefire proposals, Iranian counterproposals — have been transmitted through Pakistani mediators.
Pakistan's mediation secured a ceasefire extension; Iran subsequently submitted a response to the latest US proposal via Pakistani channels around May 10, 2026.
Key unresolved issues in negotiations: Iran's uranium enrichment programme and stockpiles, sanctions relief, US war reparations (demanded by Iran, rejected by the US as "totally unacceptable"), Iranian claims over the Strait of Hormuz.
The 14-point draft memo under discussion requires Iran to commit to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment.
Pakistan's leverage: it is a nuclear-armed state with established intelligence and military communication channels with Iran, trusted by Tehran not to be a US proxy despite being a US security partner.

Connection to this news: The Nur Khan allegations threaten to collapse Pakistan's credibility precisely at the moment its mediation value is highest, which is why the US administration has publicly defended Islamabad — it needs the channel intact regardless of the controversy.

US-Pakistan Strategic Calculus: Aid, Leverage, and Dependence

US-Pakistan relations are characterised by deep mutual ambivalence — a partnership of strategic necessity repeatedly strained by conflicting interests.

Pakistan has received over $30 billion in US military and economic assistance since 2001, primarily in connection with operations in Afghanistan.
Following the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the strategic rationale for substantial US assistance to Pakistan diminished, leading to a "re-evaluation" of the relationship.
Pakistan's military maintains close ties with China, which has emerged as its primary weapons supplier and infrastructure investor (through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, CPEC — estimated at over $60 billion).
The US-Pakistan relationship is thus triangulated: Pakistan hedges between the US and China while managing its Iran border, creating perpetual tension with Washington.
US congressional scepticism of Pakistan is longstanding, tied to allegations that the Pakistani military has historically supported Taliban factions in Afghanistan.

Connection to this news: The senator's distrust reflects this accumulated institutional scepticism. The US administration's contrary public stance reflects the executive's immediate operational need for the mediation channel, illustrating how tactical necessity routinely overrides strategic principle in US-Pakistan relations.

Implications for India

Pakistan's elevated role as a US-Iran mediator has direct implications for India's strategic environment.

A Pakistan that is diplomatically indispensable to the US is a Pakistan that has more leverage to resist US pressure on issues relevant to India — including nuclear proliferation, cross-border terrorism, and Kashmir.
If the Nur Khan allegations are confirmed, it would indicate Pakistan is simultaneously maintaining US trust and providing covert cover to Iran — a pattern of double-dealing that India has long alleged characterises Pakistani security policy.
The Hormuz disruption, which Pakistan's mediation is trying to resolve, directly affects India's food exports and oil imports — giving India a stake in a ceasefire even while distrusting Pakistan's motivations.
India has maintained working ties with Iran (Chabahar port investment, INSTC corridor) while avoiding taking sides in the 2026 conflict — a neutrality that is increasingly difficult to maintain as the conflict drags on.

Connection to this news: India's challenge is to benefit from any diplomatic resolution Pakistan facilitates while remaining alert to Pakistani attempts to use elevated US trust as cover for activities — on the nuclear, terrorism, or Iran fronts — that are inimical to Indian interests.

Key Facts & Data

Nur Khan Airbase: located in Chaklala, Rawalpindi; hosts 35th Air Mobility Wing; established 1935 as RAF Chaklala; renamed 2012.
Pakistan-Iran border length: approximately 909 km.
Pakistan's Shia Muslim population: estimated 15–20% of approximately 230 million total population.
US-Iran ceasefire mediated by Pakistan: April 8, 2026.
Iran's response transmitted via Pakistan: approximately May 10, 2026.
CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor): estimated total investment over $60 billion.
US total assistance to Pakistan since 2001: over $30 billion.
Key Iranian demands (as of May 2026): war reparations, full sovereignty over Hormuz, sanctions relief, release of frozen assets, deferral of nuclear negotiations.