Pakistan Helping U.S. with Iran in Exchange for F-16s?

Thanks to Regime Change Iran for this story. According to Asia Times Online, Pakistan may be offering its lands to the U.S. in exchange for its long desired F-16s. According to the article,

Before Rice's whirlwind visit to India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Washington was abuzz with talk that the Bush administration had convinced Musharraf to lend support to American action against Iran for its alleged nuclear weapons program.

This reinforces a number of reports by Asia Times Online's Syed Saleem Shahzad over the past months that Pakistan had agreed to host American troops and intelligence assets near its long border with Iran in Balochistan province in preparation for a possible attack on Iran, including the training of special US forces in Karachi - see, for example, US Keeps Iran in its Sights, of January 28.

In return, the US seems to be more receptive to Pakistan's long-term request for F-16 fighter aircraft. On Wednesday, Rice thanked Musharraf for "superb support in the war on terror", according to State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. The possible sale of F-16 fighter planes came up, Boucher said, but he gave no details.

In any event, the idea that Musharraf has made a decision to allow access to US forces in Balochistan was strengthened when the general recently spoke at a conference in Islamabad, "We hope the US doesn't attack Iran. In the event of an attack, Pakistan will remain neutral."

This is about as positive a statement the U.S. could ever get for a potential attack on an Islamic country, based on his public denunciations of the U.S. attack on Iraq...and probably not something he would say unless he expected a gift in return.