Iraq PM Barred From Iranian Airspace
BAGHDAD - Iran refused to allow the Iraqi prime minister to fly across its airspace as he was traveling to Tokyo, members of the delegation traveling with Nouri al-Maliki told The Associated Press early Sunday.
The delegation members said al-Maliki's plane was diverted on Saturday night to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where al-Maliki stayed in the airport for more than three hours while his government aircraft was refueled and a new flight plan was filed.
Two members of the delegation told AP about the incident by telephone from Dubai. A government official in Baghdad confirmed their account. All spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.
So much for wanting to help the Iraqi government. Apparently Iran now has this superiority complex after the British hostage fiasco. I certainly hope PM Maliki remembers this Iranian snub. Maybe it will prod him into cracking down on those loyal to Iran, such as Mugtada al-Sadr (AKA The Dark Lord)
