Iran: Intruding jet belonged to NATO

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:13:49 GMT
A Falcon jet that violated Iranian airspace and was forced to land in the Islamic Republic belongs to the NATO forces, a report says.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Falcon jet, carrying military personnel from various nations including Hungary, was heading to NATO bases in Afghanistan. The plane reportedly took off from Turkey and strayed into Iranian air space on September 30, a Fars News report said.

Following the violation, Iranian fighter jets guided the aircraft from above the country's northern provinces to Tehran's Mehrabad airport and forced it to land.

After interrogation of the the NATO personnel, and a full inspection of their equipment and papers, it was determined that the aircraft did not enter Iran intentionally so, it was allowed to leave for its earlier destination, Afghanistan, the news agency said.

A number of governments, including Hungary, have apologized to Iran's government for the incident.