"We have announced through the International Civil Aviation Organization [ICAO] that certain airplanes, including NATO and military airplanes, are not allowed to pass through the Islamic Republic of Iran's airspace," Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli, commander of the Khatam ol-Anbia Iranian air defense base, was quoted as saying by Iran’s FARS News Agency.
Esmayeeli made reference to an early September flight into Iranian airspace by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan, which was reportedly forced to land.
Washington denied the landing was forced and said the United Arab Emirates plane, chartered to carry American military personnel, had landed in Bandar Abbas due to a problem in the flight plan, and later resumed its passage to Dubai.
Meanwhile, Esmayeeli reiterated that any aircraft disregarding Iran’s airspace warning would be forced to land, as reported by FARS.
