The key facts

  • Iraq denied landing to the plane carrying Iran's national team in Basra over US sanctions on Iranian airlines
  • The plane returned to Iran, and the team set off for Basra by land
  • In September 2026, Iraq had already suspended Iranian flights to Baghdad after threats of secondary sanctions

Plane carrying Iran's national team was turned away before landing in Basra

Iraq barred a plane carrying Iran's national football team from landing at Basra airport. The reason was American sanctions imposed on Iranian airlines. Reuters reports this citing sources familiar with the situation; the incident is also described by Gazeta.Ru.

The team is traveling by land

The plane returned to Iran and landed at Abadan airport, after which the team will travel to Basra by land, said a representative of the Iranian consulate in Basra. A representative of Iran's civil aviation explained that the decision was linked to reluctance to risk violating US sanctions against Iranian carriers. Iran's national team arrived in Iraq to take part in an international tournament in Basra, where, in addition to it, the teams of Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine were expected to play.

This is already the second such case in two months

The incident fits into a broader background: in September 2026, Iraq suspended flights by Iranian airlines to Baghdad airport after the American side threatened secondary sanctions against airports and companies serving Iranian carriers. Thus, the ban on the plane carrying the national team from landing is not a one-off measure but a continuation of Baghdad's policy of restricting services to Iranian aviation under US pressure. The publications do not say whether the tournament in Basra will take place with its planned lineup.