Iran refused to allow the Iraqi prime minister to fly across its airspace as he was heading to Tokyo, members of the delegation traveling with Nouri al-Maliki told The Associated Press early Sunday.
The delegation members disclosed 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. A government official in Baghdad confirmed the news. According to the officials, the Iranians told al-Maliki's pilot that they were not informed in advance of the prime minister's need to cross Iran by air.
Al-Maliki bowed to U.S. pressure early this year and demanded that Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rein in his militia in advance of the U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown in Baghdad. Al-Maliki has been unable to persuade the Americans to release a top Mahdi Army official, Qais al-Khazaali, who is believed to be Iran's main link to the militia. Al-Khazaali was captured by U.S. forces last month.
