Iran denies reports Tehran closed border to northern Iraq

DUBAI - Reuters

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Oct. 15 denied reports that Tehran had closed a border crossing with northern Iraq in response to an independence referendum in Iraq's Kurdish region last month, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported.

"As we announced earlier, we blocked our airspace to the Kurdish region on a request from the central government of Iraq, and as far as I know, nothing new has happened in this area," ISNA quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi as saying.

Earlier, Iran reportedly closed its border gates with northern Iraq, Iran's Tasnim news agency.

 "Considering the developments in Iraq's Kurdistan, Iran has closed its Bashmagh border gate with Iraq's Kurdistan," Tasnim said without giving an official source. 

Iran last month halted flights to and from Kurdish regions in northern Iraq after the independence referendum by the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Tehran also carried out wargames at the Kurdish border in September.