Somewhere in the Gulf....

In addition to communicating with the local air traffic control facility, aircraft are required to give the Iranian Air Defense Radar (military) a ten minute "heads up" that they will be transiting Iranian airspace. This is a common procedure for commercial aircraft and involves giving them your call sign, transponder code, type aircraft, and points of origin and destination.

This from a guy who overheard this conversation on the emergency frequency 121.5 MHz while flying from Europe to Dubai. The conversation went something like this...

Air Defense Radar: "Unknown aircraft at (location unknown), you are in Iranian airspace. Identify yourself."

Aircraft: "This a United States aircraft. I am in Iraqi airspace."

Air Defense Radar: "You are in Iranian airspace. If you do not depart our airspace we will launch an interceptor aircraft!"

Aircraft: "This is a United States Marine fighter. Send 'em up!"

Air Defense Radar: (no response ... total silence) and of course, no interceptor...............

H/T Shelly