WASHINGTON: The US Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it was banning US-registered carriers from flying over Iraq, Iran and the Gulf following rocket attacks on US forces in Iraq.
"The (FAA) issues Notices to Airmen tonight outlining flight restrictions that prohibit US civil aviation operators from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The FAA will continue closely monitoring events in the Middle East," it said in a statement.
Earlier on Wednesday, Iran launched a missile attack on an Iraqi airbase where US forces are based, threatening "more crushing responses" if Washington carried out further strikes.
According to Iranaian state media, the missiles were in response to a US strike last week that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi top commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Security sources told AFP that nine rockets hit the sprawling Ain al-Asad airbase in the country's west, the largest of the Iraqi military compounds where foreign troops are based.