Tehran Warns NATO Against Flying Planes Over Iranian Airspace: Commander

NATO airplanes are not allowed to pass over Iranian airspace, commander of the Khatam ol-Anbia Iranian air defense base said. The official made reference to an early September ISAF flight, which was reportedly forced to land.

MOSCOW, January 5 (Sputnik) — An Iranian Air Defense commander on Monday warned NATO against flying planes within the country’s airspace following recent claims identifying an aircraft from the military alliance.

"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.

According to an earlier statement by Esmayeeli, the ISAF aircraft “identified itself as a passenger plane while in our airspace.” Esmayeeli announced in early December that 108 NATO military personnel on the aircraft had been detained upon landing at the Bandar Abbas airport.

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.