After days of official denial, Iran on Saturday admitted it “unintentionally” shot down the Ukrainian airliner that crashed in the week, killing all 176 aboard, AFP reported. Iran had repeatedly denied reports and claims by Western nations, including Canada, that the commercial jetliner was shot down.
The plane was shot down early Wednesday, hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on two military bases used by U.S. troops in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in an American drone attack in Baghdad.
Nobody was wounded in the attack on the military bases, despite Iran’s claims that several casualties had been recorded among American troops.
A military statement carried by Iranian state media said the Ukrainian plane was mistaken for a “hostile target” after it turned toward a “sensitive military center” of the Revolutionary Guard. It explained that the military was at its “highest level of readiness,” amid the heightened tensions with the United States.
“In such a condition, because of human error and in an unintentional way, the flight was hit,” the statement said. It apologised for the disaster and said the military 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.
The Boeing 737, operated by Ukrainian International Airlines, went down on the outskirts of Tehran shortly after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport.
Iran had denied for several days that a missile caused the crash. But then the U.S. and Canada, citing intelligence, said they believed Iran shot down the aircraft.
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 57 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians, according to officials. The Canadian government had earlier lower the nation’s death toll from 63.
