A charter flight from the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan to Dubai made an unexpected landing in Iran on Friday following what a senior U.S. diplomatic official called a "bureaucratic issue."
The State Department official provided few details but dismissed earlier media reports that Iran had forced the plane to land in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas after questioning its flight plan from Bagram Airfield.
The Washington Post first reported the incident, saying the plane was a U.S. military charter aircraft carrying approximately 100 Americans.
The U.S. official said the issue had been resolved and the plane would likely continue on to the United Arab Emirates.
Washington cut diplomatic ties with Tehran in 1980 and has spearheaded economic sanctions against the country in an attempt to dismantle its nuclear program.
