Iraq did not allow a plane carrying Iran's national football team to land at Basra Airport on Tuesday. The decision by Iraq's Civil Aviation Authority was linked to U.S. sanctions imposed on Iranian airlines, two representatives of Basra Airport said. Reuters reports, writes UNN.
Details
The plane returned to Iran and landed at the airport in the city of Abadan. The national team will now travel to Basra by land, a representative of the Iranian consulate in Basra said.
The Iranian team was heading to Iraq to take part in a tournament featuring four national teams, which is being held in Basra. The teams of Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine are also participating in the competition.
A representative of Iraq's civil aviation authority said that the country made this decision because it could not risk violating U.S. sanctions against Iranian airlines.
The incident demonstrates the increasing impact of U.S. sanctions on the operations of Iranian aviation in Iraq. Washington announced that it would impose sanctions on any companies worldwide that cooperate with Iranian airlines after September 23. The aim of these restrictions is to effectively halt the operation of Iran's entire civil aviation fleet worldwide
In September, Iraq had already ordered the suspension of flights from Iran to Baghdad Airport after the United States threatened to impose secondary sanctions on airports and service providers that serve Iranian airlines.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that airports serving Iranian airlines could face sanctions, including losing access to the U.S. dollar system.
The warning was part of a broader campaign to tighten restrictions on Iran's transport sector and foreign companies that provide services to sanctioned Iranian airlines.
Iraq to ban Iranian airline flights over threat of US sanctions22.09.26, 05:17