A satellite image dated April 25, 2026, and obtained by NDTV appears to show an Iran Air Force C-130 parked near a hangar at Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, roughly 10 kilometres from Islamabad. The image has renewed scrutiny over Pakistan’s role as a mediator between Tehran and Washington.
The photograph lends support to a CBS report that said Pakistan acted as a diplomatic conduit while allowing Iranian military aircraft to shelter on its airfields, potentially shielding them from U.S. strikes. U.S. officials told CBS that Tehran sent multiple aircraft to Nur Khan days after U.S. President Trump announced a ceasefire in early April.
According to the report, the military hardware included an RC-130 and an intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The presence of such aircraft at a Pakistani base prompted concern among some U.S. lawmakers and officials.
A senior Pakistani official rejected the claims, saying Nur Khan is “right in the heart of the city” and that “a large fleet of aircraft parked there can’t be hidden from the public eye.”
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine that he does not trust Pakistan’s handling of the situation. “If they actually do have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me we should be looking maybe for somebody else to mediate,” he said during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.
President Trump dismissed calls for a new mediator, praising Pakistani leaders instead. “They’re great. I think the Pakistanis have been great. The field marshal and the prime minister of Pakistan have been absolutely great,” he told reporters.
The incident highlights tensions between diplomatic positioning and military movements in the region, with independent verification of aircraft movements and official explanations still contested.