The air force escorted Iranian negotiators home from inconclusive peace talks with the United States last weekend, launching a major operation after the Iranians said Israel might seek to kill them, three sources told Reuters.
Pakistan deployed some two dozen jets in the escort, as well as the force’s Airborne Warning and Control System for aerial surveillance to ensure the safety of the delegation back from Islamabad, said two Pakistani sources with knowledge of the operation.
One said similar security protection would be provided for subsequent talks if the Iranians ask for it, “otherwise Pakistani aircraft would receive them in Pakistan airspace”.
A third source involved in the talks said measures were already in the works ahead of an expected further round of talks as soon as this weekend.
‘They might be targeted’
A regional diplomat briefed by Tehran, however, said Pakistan insisted on the escort after Iranian delegates raised the “hypothetical” possibility of a threat.
The discussions with the Iranian delegation about a potential threat while travelling and the presence of a Pakistani air escort into Iran have not previously been reported.
The Israeli prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran’s permanent mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pakistan’s air force and military did not respond to questions about the operation. The US embassy in Islamabad did not respond to a request for comment.
“When the talks failed, the Iranians were wary that things had not gone right. It was their suspicion that they might be targeted,” one security source said.
“This was a massive operational mission if you look at it from a pilot’s point of view. You are taking responsibility for a delegation that is coming for talks, you are giving them air cover, you have potent fighters that counter any threat,” he said.
The source involved in the talks, the highest-level engagement between the two countries since 1979, confirmed the air escort but did not provide details about the operation.
