Budapest - A plane carrying four Hungarian soldiers on its way to the Afghan capital Kabul was forced to land in Iran, the Hungarian Defence Ministry said late Tuesday, clearing up confusion about the aircraft, which Iranian media had claimed was from the US.

The plane was forced to land for bureaucratic reasons, the ministry said.

On board there were also three crew members from the company Jas Cargo, which had rented the plane to the Hungarian Army. The soldiers are part of a team that runs Kabul's international airport.

The Hawker 800 aircraft was forced to land because there was a mistake in one figure in the written overflight permit, ministry spokesman Istvan Bocskai said.

Iranian media reported incorrectly on Tuesday that the aircraft was a US military one. (dpa)