Pakistan Denies Allowing Iranian Aircraft Shelter

Pakistan has strongly denied allegations that it allowed Iranian military aircraft to use its airfields to shield them from potential U.S. strikes amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran. According to multiple reports, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Tuesday calling the claims "misleading and sensationalized." The ministry clarified that any Iranian aircraft present in Pakistan were part of diplomatic logistics linked to talks held in Islamabad between senior U.S. and Iranian officials.

The controversy arose after CBS News reported that Iran had moved several military aircraft, including an RC-130 reconnaissance plane, to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan near Rawalpindi following the ceasefire. The report suggested these movements were aimed at protecting Iranian assets from U.S. attacks. In response, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry emphasized that the aircraft arrived during the ceasefire period and had no connection to any military contingency or preservation arrangement.

Despite Pakistan's denials, concerns in Washington persist. A CNN report indicated that some Trump administration officials believed Islamabad might be sharing a more favorable version of Iran’s position with the U.S., questioning whether Pakistan was effectively conveying Trump's displeasure. Analysts, however, suggested that these allegations were unlikely to significantly damage Pakistan's role as a mediator.

The immediate trigger for the latest tensions was Washington's rejection of an Iranian peace proposal delivered through Pakistan on Sunday. The proposal included demands such as U.S. war reparations, full Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and lifting sanctions. Trump described the proposal as "TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE" and stated that the ceasefire was on 'massive life support.' Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman rejected this characterization, calling the proposal "reasonable and generous."

Meanwhile, tensions in the Gulf continue to escalate. According to Al Jazeera, Kuwait arrested four alleged members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accused of planning "hostile" activities after attempting to enter the country via Bubiyan Island. Qatar has also accused Tehran of "weaponising" the Strait of Hormuz and using it to "blackmail" Gulf states as vital energy supplies remain trapped in the region.

U.S. President Donald Trump headed to China on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit with President Xi Jinping, saying he does not expect to need Beijing's help to end the war with Iran and ease Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking before departing from Washington, Trump played down the role China could have in resolving the conflict, stating, "I don't think we need any help with Iran. We'll win it one way or the other, peacefully or otherwise." More than one month after a tenuous ceasefire took effect, U.S. and Iranian demands to end the war remain far apart.

Washington has called for Tehran to scrap its nuclear programme and lift its chokehold on the strait, while Iran has demanded compensation for war damage, an end to the U.S. blockade, and a halt to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is battling Iran-backed Hezbollah. Trump has dismissed those positions as "garbage." Iran, meanwhile, has appeared to firm up its control over the Strait of Hormuz, cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the region.

The conflict is weighing heavily on global energy markets. Global oil supply will fall by around 3.9 million barrels per day across 2026 and undershoot demand due to disruptions caused by the Iran war, according to the International Energy Agency. Brent crude futures edged down slightly to around $107 per barrel, after a three-day rally driven by the Hormuz deadlock.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to ask China to help end the costly and unpopular Iran war in discussions with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, with peace talks stalled and the global economic cost of the conflict increasing. The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran looms large over Trump's visit to China, although analysts say he is unlikely to get the support he wants.

New reports highlighted how the Iran war has accelerated geopolitical realignment across the region. Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly traveled to the UAE in March for talks with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, which Israel said resulted in a "historic breakthrough" in relations between the two countries. The UAE's foreign ministry denied the trip took place.

Iran warned the Emiratis against becoming an enemy, stating that enmity with Iran is a foolish gamble and collusion with Israel to sow division will be held to account. Saudi fighter jets bombed Iran-backed militias in Iraq, part of a broader pattern of military responses involving Gulf nations during the war.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday he believed progress was being made in negotiations to end the war. The fundamental question is whether enough progress will be made to satisfy the president's red line that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, according to Vance.