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Iran plane crash: Ukrainian jet was 'unintentionally' shot down Iran plane crash: Ukrainian jet was 'unintentionally' shot down
(about 2 hours later)
Iran says its military "unintentionally" shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing all 176 people on board, Iran's state TV reports. Iran has admitted "unintentionally" shooting down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing all 176 people on board.
The statement said it had done so due to "human error" after the plane flew close to a sensitive site belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards. An investigation found that "missiles fired due to human error", President Hassan Rouhani said. He described the crash as an "unforgivable mistake".
Mistaken for a "hostile target", the jet was hit by a missile, the statement said. The military said the jet flew close to a sensitive site belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and was then mistaken for a hostile aircraft.
Those responsible would be held accountable, it added. Iran previously rejected suggestions that it was responsible for the crash.
Iran had previously rejected suggestions that one of its missiles brought down the plane near the capital, Tehran, on Wednesday. The downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, on Wednesday, came just hours after Iran carried out missile strikes on two airbases housing US forces in Iraq.
But pressure mounted after the US and Canada, citing intelligence, said they believed Iran had shot down the plane with a missile, possibly accidently. The strikes were a response to the killing of senior Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in Baghdad on 3 January.
In a tweet, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said the "horrific crash" of the aircraft was an "unforgivable mistake". Iran initially denied reports that one of its missiles had brought down the plane near the capital, Tehran. But pressure quickly mounted after Western intelligence officials said evidence pointed to Iranian involvement.
The downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 with the loss of 176 lives came just hours after Iran carried out missile strikes on two airbases housing US forces in Iraq. The Ukrainian flight, which was en route to Kyiv, came down near Imam Khomeini Airport shortly after take-off. Victims included dozens of Iranians and Canadians, as well as nationals from Ukraine, the UK, Afghanistan and Germany.
The Ukrainian flight, en route to Kyiv, came down near Imam Khomeini Airport shortly after take-off. What has Iran said?
US media had speculated that the Ukrainian airliner may have been mistaken for a warplane as Iran prepared for possible US retaliation.
The Iranian air strikes were launched in retaliation to the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a US drone attack on 3 January.
In a tweet on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested "US adventurism" was partly to blame for the downing of the Ukrainian jet.
Victims of the disaster included 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians as well as nationals from Sweden, the UK, Afghanistan and Germany.
What does Iran's statement say?
On Saturday morning, an Iranian military statement read on state TV announced that it had struck flight PS752 with a missile by mistake.On Saturday morning, an Iranian military statement read on state TV announced that it had struck flight PS752 with a missile by mistake.
The plane, the statement said, had flown near a "sensitive military centre" of the Revolutionary Guards, a force set up to defend the country's Islamic system. The plane had flown near a "sensitive military centre" of the Revolutionary Guards, a force set up to defend the country's Islamic system.
Because of heightened tensions with the US, Iran's military "was at its highest level of readiness", the statement said. "In such a condition, because of human error and in an unintentional way, the flight was hit," it added.Because of heightened tensions with the US, Iran's military "was at its highest level of readiness", the statement said. "In such a condition, because of human error and in an unintentional way, the flight was hit," it added.
In the statement, the military apologised for downing the plane, saying it would upgrade its systems to prevent such "mistakes" in the future. The military apologised for downing the plane, saying it would upgrade its systems to prevent such "mistakes" in the future. It added that those responsible would be held accountable and prosecuted.
Those responsible for firing the missile, it said, would be prosecuted. President Rouhani expressed his condolences. "[Iran] deeply regrets this disastrous mistake," he said on Twitter.
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif apologised to the families of the victims but laid part of the blame on the US. "Human error at a time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to [this] disaster," he said.
An act of de-escalation
This is a major admission at a crucial moment for Iran.
Taking responsibility for such a tragic error is highly unusual, but so is the crisis that now confronts the Islamic Republic.
Iran has decided it has to own this disaster to avoid it triggering another war of words with the West or exacerbating further anger and anguish among its own people, who are reeling from one calamity after another.
Make no mistake, this was an act of de-escalation.
The repercussions at home may soon be clear. Iran's foreign minister has already sought to shift blame by saying it was "a crisis caused by US adventurism".
But the big question now is: who took the decision to allow a civilian airliner to take off when Iran's airspace was shot through with such tension?
What has the reaction been?
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the crash was "a national tragedy". There were 57 Canadian nationals on board the downed flight.
In a statement, he demanded "transparency and justice for the families and loved ones of the victims".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Iran to punish those responsible. "We expect Iran... to bring the guilty to the courts," he said.
Elsewhere, the president of Ukraine International Airlines said "we didn't doubt for a second that our crew and our plane couldn't be the cause for this horrible crash".
"These were our best guys and girls. The best," Yevhenii Dykhne said of the nine crew members who were on board.
What happened before Iran's announcement?What happened before Iran's announcement?
The announcement by Iran's military marks a stark departure from the denials of recent days. As recently as Friday, Iran was insistent that the plane had not been shot down. The statement marks a stark departure from the denials of recent days. As recently as Friday, Iran was insistent that the plane had not been shot down.
"The thing that is clear to us and that we can say with certainty is that this plane was not hit by a missile," Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation (CAOI) chief Ali Abedzadeh said."The thing that is clear to us and that we can say with certainty is that this plane was not hit by a missile," Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation (CAOI) chief Ali Abedzadeh said.
On Thursday, government spokesman Ali Rabiei accused the US and its allies of "lying and engaging in psychological warfare" in their speculation over the cause of the accident. On Thursday, government spokesman Ali Rabiei accused the US and its allies of "lying and engaging in psychological warfare" by speculating about the cause of the crash.
But as evidence pointing to a missile strike built, calls for a transparent investigation grew louder.But as evidence pointing to a missile strike built, calls for a transparent investigation grew louder.
Video obtained by the New York Times appeared to show a missile streaking across the night sky over Tehran and then exploding on contact with a plane. About 10 seconds later a loud explosion is heard on the ground. The plane, ablaze, continues to fly.Video obtained by the New York Times appeared to show a missile streaking across the night sky over Tehran and then exploding on contact with a plane. About 10 seconds later a loud explosion is heard on the ground. The plane, ablaze, continues to fly.
On Thursday, TV images from the crash site showed a mechanical digger helping to clear debris away, raising concerns that important evidence could have been removed. On Thursday, TV images showed a mechanical digger helping to clear debris from the crash site, raising concerns that important evidence could have been removed.
In response, Iran promised a full investigation, inviting air accident agencies from Ukraine, Canada and the US to take part.In response, Iran promised a full investigation, inviting air accident agencies from Ukraine, Canada and the US to take part.
On Friday, Canada's Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne warned Iran that "the world is watching", telling it that the families of those on board "want the truth". On Friday, Canada's Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne warned Iran that "the world is watching", saying that the families of those on board "want the truth".
His warning came a day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had received intelligence from multiple sources indicating that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.
A missile strike on a passenger plane is not unprecedented. In July 2014, a Russian-made missile hit a Malaysian civilian airliner over Ukraine, killing 298 people on flight MH17.