A flight carrying Iran’s national football team was turned away from landing at Basra airport on Tuesday following a decision by the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority. Officials from the Basra airport noted that the denial was linked to United States sanctions targeting Iranian airlines. An Iraqi civil aviation official explained that the country could not take the risk of violating those American restrictions.
Following the landing refusal, the aircraft diverted back to Iran and landed at Abadan airport. An official from the Iranian consulate in Basra confirmed that the squad will now make the journey to Basra by road. The Iranian team was heading to Iraq to take part in a four-nation tournament in Basra featuring teams from Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, and Iran.
This incident reflects the growing pressure of US aviation sanctions on Iranian operations within Iraq. Back in September, Iraqi authorities suspended Iranian flights to Baghdad airport after Washington threatened secondary sanctions against service providers and airports handling Iranian airlines. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had issued a warning that any airports servicing Iranian carriers risked severe sanctions, including being cut off from the US dollar system.
The measures form part of a broader push by Washington to restrict Iran’s transport industry and penalize foreign organizations offering support to sanctioned airlines. Announced after September 23, these global sanctions aim to ground Iran’s entire civil fleet worldwide as part of an economic pressure campaign by President Donald Trump amid the military conflict launched on the country by the US and Israel in February.
