Finally Iran admits, Ukraine jet shot down by mistake, killing 176 people

Finally Iran admits it “unintentionally” shot down the Ukrainian International Airlines passenger jet that went down near Tehran airport on Wednesday, and blames “human error”,

The plane crash, which killed 176 people, happened soon after Iranian missile strikes targeted Iraqi bases housing US-led coalition personnel — an offensive launched in retaliation for the killing of Iranian commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and others in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport on 3rd January, 2020.

Iran denied for days that the aircraft had been shot down, but the US and Canada said they believed otherwise, citing intelligence. A video doing the rounds on social media appeared to show the precise moment of impact.

A military statement carried by state media said the plane was mistaken for a hostile target after it turned toward a sensitive military center of the Revolutionary Guards. The military was at its highest level of readiness, it said, amid the heightened tensions with the US

The statement said, in such a condition, because of human error and in an unintentional way, the flight was hit. It apologised for the disaster and said it would upgrade its systems to prevent such mistakes in the future.

It also said those responsible for the strike on the plane would be prosecuted.

According to official sources, 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.