Fact-check: No, image does not show Pakistan allowing US military planes to enter Iran
An independent investigation and a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirm that Pakistan has not granted the US access to its airspace for surveillance or attacks on Iran
Updated Wednesday Jun 18 2025
A viral post with thousands of views and interactions accuses Pakistan of permitting US military aircrafts to use its airspace to attack neighbouring Iran.
The post also includes an image allegedly showing US planes flying from Pakistani territory into Iran. The claim surfaced after Israel attacked Iran on June 13.
The claim is false. The image is fabricated.
Claim
On June 17, a user on X (Twitter) wrote: “Pakistan is backstabbing Iran.”
The post claimed that several US Air Force planes flew deep into Pakistani airspace, while a US joint intelligence aircraft conducted high-altitude surveillance along the Pakistan-Iran border. It further alleged: “Pakistan is helping the US and Israel in obtaining crucial intelligence on Iran’s nuclear sites.”
The post includes a purported image of flight paths showing US military aircrafts flying from Pakistan into Iran. As of now, the post has over 250,000 views and more than 1,400 reposts.
Fact
The image is not authentic. Nor is there any credible report suggesting that Pakistan has granted the US access to its airspace for surveillance or attacks on Iran.
There are clear geographical inaccuracies in the image being shared online, such as that it incorrectly places Iran’s Chabahar seaport inside Pakistani territory.
Tahir Imran Mian, an investigative journalist, also dismissed the image as fake.
Speaking to Geo Fact Check, Mian said he verified the aircraft registration numbers shown in the image using open-source flight tracking platforms, FlightRadar24 and Plane Spotters, which provide real-time and historical data.
“Nothing could be found on the platforms [regarding the mentioned military aircrafts],” he said, “These planes are superimposed or created through AI to depict actual flights.”
Separately, in a comment to Geo Fact Check the spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs categorically denied the online claims, further calling them “fake and baseless.”
Verdict: The image allegedly showing US military planes being allowed to fly to Iran from Pakistan is fabricated.
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