Switzerland Rejects US Overflight Requests

Switzerland has rejected two requests from US military and government aircraft to fly over its territory due to the ongoing conflict with Iran, while approving three others under the country’s neutrality laws, the Swiss government said Saturday.

In a statement reported by Reuters, the government said Swiss neutrality law prohibits flights by aircraft belonging to parties involved in a conflict if the mission serves military purposes related to that conflict.

However, the law allows overflights for humanitarian and medical purposes, including the transport of wounded individuals, as well as flights not connected to the conflict.

The announcement came as Iran warned Saturday it could escalate the war in the Middle East by targeting any facility in the region linked to the US , following a US strike on a key Iranian energy site.

The conflict entered its third week after US forces targeted military facilities on Iran’s Kharg Island, which handles about 90 percent of the country’s oil exports.

Since Israel and the US launched their attacks on Iran on February 28, the war has killed more than 2,000 people, most of them in Iran, and caused major disruptions to global oil supplies, pushing international prices higher.

US President Donald Trump said many countries are expected to send warships to the region to ensure the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route through which about 20 percent of the world’s energy supply passes.