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Despite Iran’s airspace being closed, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi traveled to Geneva with a political delegation, where he met with foreign ministers of three European countries and the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs. This marks his first trip abroad since the onset of the Iran-Israel conflict.
The closure of Iran’s airspace is an internal decision by its military and political authorities, communicated to the civil aviation agency. However, permissions for transit, landing, or overflights can be granted based on necessity. Araqchi used a government aircraft, which is not classified as a commercial or passenger plane. For such missions, a specific flight corridor is opened on an emergency basis to facilitate the journey.
Due to the conflict, the aircraft likely followed a route that minimized time in Iranian airspace, quickly moving to safer regions. It is plausible that fighter jets provided security for the plane, as seen last year when Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian’s aircraft was escorted during a visit to Qatar.
Alternatively, if the airspace was deemed unsafe, Araqchi may have crossed into a neighboring country via land and boarded a commercial flight from there. As a key political figure, the foreign minister is afforded maximum protection during wartime to ensure safety from physical or military threats.
AI/MR
