• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
Iran Says Its Military Shot Down Ukrainian Passenger Plane in Error

Iran Says Its Military Shot Down Ukrainian Passenger Plane in Error

January 11, 2020
Kristi Noem Turns Tables After NBC Host Echoes Dems’ Freakout Over ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

Kristi Noem Turns Tables After NBC Host Echoes Dems’ Freakout Over ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

July 13, 2025
‘It’s About Accountability’: CNN’s David Urban Lays Out Why MAGA Won’t Drop Epstein Demands

‘It’s About Accountability’: CNN’s David Urban Lays Out Why MAGA Won’t Drop Epstein Demands

July 13, 2025
Every SCOTUS Justice Seems Annoyed At Ketanji Brown Jackson — Even The Other Libs

Every SCOTUS Justice Seems Annoyed At Ketanji Brown Jackson — Even The Other Libs

July 13, 2025
How Trump’s Megabill Could Stall American Space Exploration

How Trump’s Megabill Could Stall American Space Exploration

July 13, 2025
JENNY BETH MARTIN: Democrat Leaders Must Condemn Political Violence – Now

JENNY BETH MARTIN: Democrat Leaders Must Condemn Political Violence – Now

July 13, 2025
‘Shouldn’t Have Happened’: Trump Reflects On Butler Assassination Attempt One Year Later

‘Shouldn’t Have Happened’: Trump Reflects On Butler Assassination Attempt One Year Later

July 13, 2025
LARRY ELDER: Ex-Dem Rep: The N-Word Causes Cancer

LARRY ELDER: Ex-Dem Rep: The N-Word Causes Cancer

July 13, 2025
DAVID BLACKMON: CNN’s Shock Climate Polling Data Reinforces Trump’s Energy Agenda

DAVID BLACKMON: CNN’s Shock Climate Polling Data Reinforces Trump’s Energy Agenda

July 13, 2025
DANIEL MCCARTHY: A Big Beautiful Test Of GOP Principles And Discipline

DANIEL MCCARTHY: A Big Beautiful Test Of GOP Principles And Discipline

July 12, 2025
DAVID BOSSIE: 4 Years After Being Canceled, MLB All-Star Game Back In Atlanta

DAVID BOSSIE: 4 Years After Being Canceled, MLB All-Star Game Back In Atlanta

July 12, 2025
JOSH HAMMER: Log Off Social Media And Return To The Real Things

JOSH HAMMER: Log Off Social Media And Return To The Real Things

July 12, 2025
Judge Continues Block On Defunding Planned Parenthood

Judge Continues Block On Defunding Planned Parenthood

July 11, 2025
  • Donald Trump
  • State of the Union
  • Elon Musk
  • Tariffs
  • Congress
  • Faith
  • Immigration
Monday, July 14, 2025
  • Login
IJR
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls
No Result
View All Result
IJR
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Iran Says Its Military Shot Down Ukrainian Passenger Plane in Error

by Reuters
January 11, 2020 at 7:08 am
in News
245 7
26
Iran Says Its Military Shot Down Ukrainian Passenger Plane in Error

FILE PHOTO: Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif looks on during a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow, Russia December 30, 2019. Reuters/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo

492
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Iran said on Saturday its military had mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian plane killing all 176 aboard, saying air defences were fired in error while on high alert in the tense aftermath of Iranian missile strikes on U.S. targets in Iraq.

Iran had previously vigorously denied bringing the plane down. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who until Saturday had kept silent about the crash, said information should be made public.

Wednesday’s crash heightened international pressure on Iran after months of friction with the United States and tit-for-tat attacks. A U.S. drone strike had killed a top Iranian military commander in Iraq on Jan. 3, prompting Tehran to fire at U.S. targets on Wednesday.

Canada, which had 57 citizens on board, and the United States had both said they believed an Iranian missile brought down the aircraft, although they said it was probably an error.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani wrote on Twitter, promising that those behind the incident would be prosecuted. “My thoughts and prayers go to all the mourning families.”

Experts said mounting international scrutiny would have made it all but impossible to hide signs of a missile strike in any investigation and Iran may have felt a U-turn was better than battling rising criticism abroad and growing grief and anger at home, as many victims were Iranians with dual nationality.

In Twitter messages, angry Iranians asked why the plane was allowed to take off with tensions in Iran so high. The plane came down when Tehran was on alert for U.S. reprisals in the hours after Iran launched rockets at U.S. troops in Iraqi bases.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards apologised to the nation and accepted full responsibility. Senior Guards commander Amirali Hajizadeh said he wished “I could die” when he heard the news about the incident, state media reported.

Responding to Iran’s announcement on Saturday, Ukraine demanded an official apology and compensation. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would work “to ensure a complete and thorough investigation” and wanted Iran’s full cooperation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter that “human error at time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism led to disaster”, citing an initial armed forces investigation into the crash of the Boeing 737-800.

TELL-TALE SIGNS

A military statement said the plane flew close to a sensitive military site of the elite Revolutionary Guards. At the time, planes had been spotted on radar near strategic sites leading to “further alertness” in air defences.

Ukraine has said the plane was in a normal flight corridor.

Experts said a probe would almost certainly have revealed tell-tale signs on the fuselage remains of a missile strike.

“There’s nothing you can do to cover it up or hide it,” said Anthony Brickhouse, an air safety expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and former U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigator. “Evidence is evidence.”

Former U.S. Federal Aviation Administration accident investigator, Mike Daniel, told Reuters the mounting evidence made it inevitable that Iran would “accept culpability”.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mobile phone footage posted and circulated by ordinary Iranians on Twitter after the crash had indicated the plane came down in flames and exploded as it struck the ground.

Aviation experts said Iran and the airline would have to explain why the plane was allowed to take off, as it is up to a country to close its airspace when there is a security risk, while many other airlines were already avoiding Iranian airspace.

PUBLIC GRIEF

Iran’s initial denials this week had described accusations that a missile was to blame as “psychological warfare”.

Grief-stricken Iranians complained on social media that Iran’s authorities had spent more time fending off criticism than sympathising with victims’ families.

“Why were any civilian airlines flying out of Tehran airport in those conditions?” Twitter user Shiva Balaghi wrote.

A U.S. official had said data showed the plane airborne for two minutes after departing Tehran when heat signatures of two surface-to-air missiles were detected. There was an explosion in the vicinity and heat data showed the plane on fire as it fell. U.S. military satellites detect infrared emissions from heat.

U.S. President Donald Trump said this week that “somebody could have made a mistake.”

Iran had said on Thursday it would download the information from voice and flight data recorders, known as black boxes, to determine what had happened, although it had said the process could take one to two months.

Tehran had said it could ask Russia, Canada, France or Ukraine for help in the investigation.

The disaster had echoes of an incident in 1988, when the U.S. warship USS Vincennes shot down an Iranian airliner, killing 290 people. Washington said it was a tragic accident. Tehran said it was intentional.

(Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh, Parisa Hafezi and Alexander Cornwell in Dubai, Steve Holland in Washington and Allison Lampert; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Frances Kerry)

Tags: Middle East
Share196Tweet123
Reuters

Reuters

Reuters is an international news organization.

Advertisements

Top Stories June 10th
Top Stories June 7th
Top Stories June 6th
Top Stories June 3rd
Top Stories May 30th
Top Stories May 29th
Top Stories May 24th
Top Stories May 23rd
Top Stories May 21st
Top Stories May 17th

Join Over 6M Subscribers

We’re organizing an online community to elevate trusted voices on all sides so that you can be fully informed.





IJR

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Trusted Voices On All Sides

  • About Us
  • GDPR Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Editorial Standards & Corrections Policy
  • Subscribe to IJR

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Top Stories June 10th Top Stories June 7th Top Stories June 6th Top Stories June 3rd Top Stories May 30th Top Stories May 29th Top Stories May 24th Top Stories May 23rd Top Stories May 21st Top Stories May 17th