US sanctions prevent Iran team’s plane from landing in Basra; delegation arrives by road via Shalamcheh

Iran’s national team delegation arrived in Basra by road via the Shalamcheh border crossing on Tuesday evening after the plane assigned to transport it was prevented from landing at Basra Airport. The plane had landed in the Iranian city of Abadan, from where the delegation continued its journey to the Iraqi city to take part in an international friendly tournament.

A source in the Iranian Football Federation said the landing was prevented in connection with US sanctions imposed on Iranian airlines. Reuters quoted an Iraqi civil aviation official as saying the decision was made to avoid exposing airports and entities providing services to those airlines to US measures.

The ISNA news agency reported that the plane, operated by Varesh Airlines, had written approval from the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority for a direct flight from Tehran to Basra, before the permit was cancelled shortly before the flight was due to take place. The company said the cancellation came as a surprise despite prior coordination, and that it would follow up with the authorities to learn the circumstances. Reuters also quoted officials at Basra Airport as saying the plane was not allowed to land on the basis of a decision by the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority.

Reports differed over when the Iranian side was informed of the decision: Iranian reports said the permit was cancelled before the flight took place, while international reports indicated that the plane returned to Iran after being prevented from landing. Media reports said the national team would face Palestine on 14 November and then Iraq on 17 November in a tournament that also includes Lebanon.

The incident comes amid strict US restrictions on Iran’s aviation sector, under which Washington has warned airports and companies providing services to sanctioned carriers that they could face punitive measures. The source noted that Iranian clubs, including Tractor, Gol Gohar Sirjan and Esteghlal Tehran, had also faced difficulties arranging travel for matches abroad.