Iranian state TV, citing a military statement, says the country ‘unintentionally’ shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing all 176 aboard, after mistaking the aircraft for a hostile, enemy target – but blames ‘U.S. adventurism’ for the human error.
The statement came Saturday morning, local time, and blamed ‘human error’ for shooting down the plane on Tuesday.
Specifically, Iranian officials says the aircraft ‘took the flying posture and altitude of an enemy target’ as it neared the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps base and attending personal didn’t recognize it as a passenger plane.
‘Under these circumstances, because of human error, [the plane] came under fire,’ the statement read, according to the New York Times.
However, Foreign Minister of Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Zarif placed blame on ‘US adventurism’ for the plane crash on Twitter.
He wrote: ‘A sad day. Preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed Forces: Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster. Our profound regrets, apologies and condolences to our people, to the families of all victims, and to other affected nations.’
Following the grave mistake, Iran’s government have offered an apology to families.
The jetliner, a Boeing 737 operated by Ukrainian International Airlines, went down on the outskirts of Tehran during takeoff just hours after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at U.S. forces.
The plane, en route to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries, including 82 Iranians, at least 63 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians, according to officials.
The plane, en route to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries, including 82 Iranians, at least 63 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians, according to officials.
Ali Rabiei, an Iranian government spokesperson, previously denied that their military downed the crash, even going so far to say it was a ‘big lie’ and the accusations were ‘psychological warfare’ against Tehran.
‘The United States is making the pain of the families worse,’ Rabiei said in a statement.
‘It is unfortunate that the psychological operation of the US government and those supporting it are adding insult to the injury of the bereaved families and victimising them for certain goals by propagating such fallacies.’
Officials also pushed back against the Western account, saying the plane would have exploded if it was truly hit by a missile.
‘Tonight, Iran acknowledged that Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down by its own armed forces,’ he said.
‘Our focus remains closure, accountability, transparency, and justice for the families and loved ones of the victims. This is a national tragedy, and all Canadians are mourning together. We will continue working with our partners around the world to ensure a complete and thorough investigation, and the Canadian government expects full cooperation from Iranian authorities.’
credit :Daily Mail