Plane carrying Iran’s football team stopped from landing in Iraq over US sanctions
REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: The plane returned to Iran and landed at Abadan airport, and the team will now travel overland to Basra. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: The plane returned to Iran and landed at Abadan airport, and the team will now travel overland to Basra. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Iraq barred a plane carrying Iran’s national football team from landing at Basra airport on Tuesday, a decision by the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority linked to US sanctions imposed on Iranian airlines, two Basra airport officials said.
The plane returned to Iran and landed at Abadan airport, and the team will now travel overland to Basra, an Iranian consulate official in Basra said.
The Iranian team was travelling to Iraq to participate in a four-nation tournament in Basra, also involving Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine.
An Iraqi civil aviation official said Iraq made the decision because it could not risk violating US sanctions on Iranian airlines.
The incident highlights the increasing impact of US sanctions on Iranian aviation operations in Iraq. In September, Iraq ordered the suspension of Iranian flights to Baghdad airport after the United States threatened secondary sanctions against airports and service providers that handle Iranian carriers.
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