Swiss government rejects 2 flyover requests from US related to Iran war

ISTANBUL

Switzerland’s Federal Council rejected two overflight requests from US military aircraft Saturday related to the war in Iran, while approving three others, according to the government.

Two reconnaissance flights scheduled for March 15 were denied, citing Switzerland’s neutrality laws, which prohibit overflights with a military purpose connected to conflicts.

At the same time, a maintenance flight scheduled for March 17 and two transport aircraft overflights on March 15 were approved.

The Federal Council said future requests unrelated to the conflict will generally be approved, including flights for humanitarian or medical purposes. Requests exceeding normal operations or whose purpose cannot be determined will be denied.

Regional tensions have surged since the US and Israel launched a joint attack against Iran on Feb. 28. The strikes have so far killed at least 1,300 people in Iran, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Tehran has responded with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.