Authorities in Iraq have forced a Damascus-bound flight coming from the Iranian capital to land in Baghdad for security checks.
The Boeing cargo plane, en route to Syria from Tehran, was stopped for checks but only medical supplies and humanitarian aid were found, Iraqi Transportation Minister Karim al-Nouri said in a statement Monday.
Iraq's civil aviation authority had announced on Sunday that a Syrian aircraft heading to Damascus from Moscow was also ordered to land at Baghdad International Airport.
Iraqi authorities have begun checking Syria-bound fly-overs in Iraq after assuring Washington it would perform random checks, in the hope of preventing arms reaching Damascus.
The Iraqi government has stressed it will not tolerate weapons being transferred to Syria through its airspace.
Edited translation from MENA
