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Iraq inspects Iranian plane traveling to Syria

08 April 2013 17:36 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Iraqi authorities inspected Monday an Iranian cargo plane headed to Syria using the Iraqi airspace, the Iraqi ministry of transportation said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"The aviation authority today requested an Iranian cargo plane flying from Tehran to Damascus to land in Baghdad airport for a surprise inspection," the ministry said in a statement.

The plane was only carrying medical equipment, it said.

The inspection is the first of its kind since the visit of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Baghdad late last month, during which he urged Iraqi leaders to stop Iranian planes carrying arms and fighters for the Syrian government.

U.S. officials have said the Iranian flights via Iraq to Syria are "close to daily", and that Iraq, which has vowed to inspect the flights, has only checked two planes last year.

The United States frequently accused Iraq of turning a blind eye to the Iranian flights to Syria, while Baghdad says the planes are only carrying humanitarian aid.