ANKARA, Turkey, March 16 (UPI) -- An Iranian plane en route to Syria was ordered to land in Turkey for cargo inspection for suspected nuclear or other weapons, a Turkish official said.
The DHA Dogan News Agency quoted unidentified officials as saying the plane is believed to have carried military equipment or nuclear weapons, the Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review reported Wednesday.
The news agency's report was later denied by Turkey's Foreign Ministry, which confirmed a plane from Iran had landed and undergone inspection -- standard procedure for Iranian cargo planes, the Israeli news Web site Ynetnews.com said.
The Turkish daily said the plane was forced to land in the province of Diyarbakir late Tuesday after it entered Turkish airspace and was escorted by to F-16 fighters to the southeast province.
The plane was heading for the Syrian city of Aleppo, the Anatolia news agency reported.
