Islamabad, May 14 (IANS) Pakistan's role as a mediator between Iran and the US has faced renewed scrutiny after reports claimed that an Iranian aircraft was parked at a military base outside Rawalpindi, sparking questions regarding Islamabad's balancing act in the West Asia conflict, a report has stated.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry termed the news report "misleading and sensationalised". However, the ministry did not deny the presence of the Iranian aircraft at Nur Khan Air Base in Pakistan.

"The Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan arrived during the ceasefire period and bear no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement," read the statement issued by the Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

The ministry's statement came after the American broadcaster CBS on May 11 reported that Pakistan had permitted Iran to park its military aircraft on its airfields, potentially protecting them from the US air strikes, according to a report in Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty.

Reacting to the news report, US Senator Lindsey Graham stated that a complete reevaluation needs to be conducted of the role played by Pakistan amid the ongoing conflict if the report is accurate.

"If this reporting is accurate, it would require a complete reevaluation of the role Pakistan is playing as mediator between Iran, the United States and other parties. Given some of the prior statements by Pakistani defense officials towards Israel, I would not be shocked if this were true," Graham posted on X.

The news report has revived a long-running debate in the US on whether Pakistan can simultaneously maintain close security ties with Washington while having strategic ties with America’s adversaries, according to the report.

"As a non-NATO ally during the US-led war on terror, Pakistan has long faced accusations from American officials of playing a 'double game.' Trump amplified those tensions in 2018 when he accused Islamabad of taking billions of dollars in US aid while providing a “safe haven” to militants in Afghanistan," the report in Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty stated.

At the time, Trump in a tweet had stated, "The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools."

--IANS

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