Iraq Refuses Landing Permission in Basra for Plane Carrying Iran's National Team

Following a decision by the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority, the plane carrying Iran's national football team was not allowed to land at Basra Airport on Tuesday. Two officials working at Basra Airport confirmed the situation.

The plane returned to Iran and landed at Abadan Airport. The Iranian consular official in Basra announced that the team will now travel to Basra by road.

The team was heading to Iraq to take part in a four-nation tournament that also included Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine. According to an Iraqi civil aviation official, the country made this decision because it could not risk violating US sanctions against Iranian airlines.

The incident shows that the impact of US sanctions on Iranian aviation activities in Iraq is growing. Washington had announced that after September 23 it would impose sanctions on global companies doing business with Iranian airlines, and stated that its aim was to ground Iran's civil fleet around the world. Iraq had also suspended Iranian flights to Baghdad Airport in September. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that airports serving Iranian airlines could face sanctions, including being excluded from the dollar system.