Iran refuses plane carrying Iraq speaker

AP: An Iraqi parliamentary official says the plane carrying Iraq's Sunni parliamentary speaker has been refused entry into Iran.

The Associated Press

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA

BAGHDAD (AP) — An Iraqi parliamentary official says the plane carrying Iraq's Sunni parliamentary speaker has been refused entry into Iran.

Mahmoud al-Mashhadani was on an Iraqi Airways commercial flight to Tehran on Monday, but the plane was not allowed to land after the airport was informed that dignitaries were on board, said the official who works in the speaker's office.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.

He added that Iranian authorities gave no reason for denying permission for the plane to land.

Iraqi media earlier reported that al-Mashhadani was leading a parliamentary delegation to mainly Shiite Iran.