Iraq bars plane carrying Iran's soccer team from landing in Basra over US sanctions, officials say

Iraq barred a plane ​carrying Iran's national soccer 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. Washington ⁠had announced sanctions on any global companies doing business with Iranian airlines after September ​23, with the aim of grounding Iran’s entire civil fleet worldwide. Iraq ⁠in September 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.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that airports servicing Iranian airlines could face ⁠sanctions, including exclusion from the US dollar system. This warning was part of a ⁠broader effort to ⁠tighten restrictions on Iran’s transport sector and on foreign entities providing services to sanctioned Iranian airlines.