Iran Admits It Shot Down Ukrainian Airliner
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Iran admitted on Saturday that it mistakenly shot down a Ukraine International Airlines passenger jet, killing all 176 passengers and crew on board, according to The Financial Times.
The Iranian armed forces joint staff said in a statement that human error caused the disaster and promised to bring those who made the mistake to justice and make reforms to its air defense system.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake,” President Hassan Rouhani said on Twitter after the military made the announcement.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTJavad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, Tweeted: “Human error at a time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster.”
The FT reports that Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president, said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake” adding that investigations would continue to identify the reasons and prosecute those behind “this big tragedy and unforgivable mistake."
Crash -- and Aftermath
The Ukrainian Airline Boeing 737-800 flying to Kiev crashed moments after take-off from Tehran on Wednesday, just hours after an Iranian missile strike on US air bases in neighboring Iraq.
The Iranian attack was in retaliation on U.S.bases in Iraq were for the American killing of Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani days earlier.
“Iran’s armed forces were at the highest alert levels to respond to threats [made] by the US president and armed forces to hit back [at] many targets in Iran in case of [Iran’s] retaliation,” the statement added.
The armed forces statement said the aircraft “while turning, looked like getting close to a sensitive military center of the guards.” Radar systems identified it as a “hostile object . . . and by human error . . . unintentionally shot down the plane” and caused “martyrdom of some dear countrymen and killing of foreign nationals”.
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