A military-chartered aircraft carrying about 100 Americans from Afghanistan to Dubai landed unexpectedly in Iran on Friday, after Iranian officials ordered it to do so, U.S. and officials in the region said.
The plane was allowed to depart after several hours on the ground. The State Department later confirmed that it had landed in Dubai.
Earlier Friday, officials said the plane landed of its own accord in the city of Bandar Abbas after being warned that it would be intercepted if it did not.
One U.S. official familiar with the incident said Iranian fighter jets were scrambled, but the State Department later denied any Iranian military involvement.
In a statement, the department described the incident as a “bureaucratic issue.”
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the plane, chartered by the U.S.-led international military command in Afghanistan, left Bagram air base, north of Kabul, several hours after its scheduled departure time. When it entered Iranian air space, the official said, air-traffic controllers there had no updated flight plan.
A U.S. official said that the Iranians ordered the plane to go back to Afghanistan, but the pilot replied that he did not have enough fuel for the return trip. The Iranians ordered the plane to land.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
