U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has made an unannounced visit to Iraq, saying he raised Washington’s concerns about Iranian flights over Iraq that carry weapons to Syria.
Kerry says he told Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on March 24 that the Iranian flights are “problematic” and help to sustain Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Iraqi officials deny allowing the transfer of weapons from Iran to Syria through Iraqi airspace.
They say Iraq has done its duty by randomly inspecting some Iranian flights without finding weapons.
They are asking Washington to share information about alleged weapons flights.
Iran says all of its flights only transport only humanitarian aid.
Kerry’s agenda on March 24 included talks with representatives of Iraq’s Shi’ite, Kurdish, and Sunni communities – including the Sunni speaker of parliament Osama al-Nujaifi.
Kerry says he told Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on March 24 that the Iranian flights are “problematic” and help to sustain Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Iraqi officials deny allowing the transfer of weapons from Iran to Syria through Iraqi airspace.
They say Iraq has done its duty by randomly inspecting some Iranian flights without finding weapons.
They are asking Washington to share information about alleged weapons flights.
Iran says all of its flights only transport only humanitarian aid.
Kerry’s agenda on March 24 included talks with representatives of Iraq’s Shi’ite, Kurdish, and Sunni communities – including the Sunni speaker of parliament Osama al-Nujaifi.
