The US charter aircraft, which took off from Mesa, Arizona, on Tuesday, was supposed to transport the detainees to Pakistan, from where they would be transferred to Iran.US deportation flight carrying nine Iranian deportees returns to Arizona after Pakistan denies entry. (AP Photo)A US deportation flight carrying at least nine Iranian immigrants was forced to return to Arizona after Pakistan reportedly refused to allow them into the country, disrupting the Trump administration's plan to send them back through a transit route, The New York Times reported.The charter aircraft, which took off from Mesa, Arizona, on Tuesday, was supposed to transport the detainees to Pakistan, from where they would be transferred to Iran.However, the plane changed course roughly 30 minutes after departure and landed back at its original location, The New York Times reported, citing a US official and a relative of one of the detainees.The Iranian immigrants were subsequently taken off the aircraft and returned to an immigration detention facility in Arizona, the relative told the newspaper. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson declined to comment on the aborted deportation operation, according to the report.The reversal marks the second time in recent days that a planned deportation of Iranian nationals from Arizona has been called off.PAK'S ROLE IN US DEPORTATION PLANS The Trump administration has been exploring arrangements to deport immigrants to Iran and Afghanistan, two countries with which the US does not maintain diplomatic relations, by routing them through Pakistan, the New York Times reported.The proposed arrangement has attracted scrutiny from immigration lawyers and rights organisations, particularly over the potential consequences for people who could face persecution after being sent back to their home countries.Pakistan had earlier indicated that it was considering facilitating the transit of deportees headed to Afghanistan.Last week, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan told reporters that discussions were underway and Islamabad hoped to arrive at an arrangement acceptable to all sides.However, Pakistan's reported refusal to receive Tuesday's group of Iranian deportees appears to have disrupted at least one of Washington's planned operations.The latest flight was not the first attempt to move Iranian detainees out of Arizona.On Sunday, at least eight Iranians had boarded another aircraft in Mesa that was scheduled to travel through Georgia before reaching Pakistan.That operation was subsequently abandoned without an explanation, according to Ali Rahnama, a lawyer representing the detainees, who spoke to the Associated Press.IRANIAN DETAINEES CHALLENGE DEPORTATION PLANSThe proposed removals have also triggered legal challenges in the US.The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, which represents some of the detained immigrants, has approached a court over the administration's handling of their cases.According to court documents cited by the NYT, some detainees were informed by an Iranian government representative over the weekend that they would be sent to Pakistan before being transported onwards to Iran.The organisation had previously accused US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of improperly disclosing confidential asylum-related information to Iranian authorities.The Trump administration has denied the allegations, with two ICE officials telling a court in October that their interactions with Iranian diplomats were limited to travel arrangements and documentation.On its part, the Department of Homeland Security has maintained that the administration is pursuing every legally available avenue to carry out Trump's mass deportation agenda, the Associated Press reported.The US had previously conducted three deportation flights to Iran between September 2025 and January 2026, removing more than 100 Iranian nationals, according to the Associated Press.- Ends