Iran refuses plane carrying Iraqi lawmaker

BAGHDAD, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A plane carrying Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Mashhadani was denied landing in Iran and returned to Baghdad Monday for undisclosed reasons.

The media division of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said Monday Iranian authorities refused to allow the commercial airliner to enter Iranian airspace once officials learned it was carrying high-level dignitaries.

Iranian state-run media had published several reports on the meeting, saying Mashhadani was scheduled to meet several top officials in Tehran, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Hassan Qashqavi, said the meeting was to exemplify the strong ties Tehran had with Iraqi politicians and spoke of broader Iran-Iraq relations following the fall of the former regime.

Qashqavi also noted Monday in the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency that Tehran would voice its support for Iraqi independence and national sovereignty during the scheduled meeting.