Tehran admits to shooting down Ukrainian airliner
Print Edition
IRAN said on Saturday its military had shot down a Ukrainian plane killing all 176 aboard in a “disastrous mistake,” saying air defenses were fired in error while on alert after Iranian missile strikes on US targets in Iraq.
Iran had denied for days after Wednesday’s crash that it had brought down the airliner, although a top Revolutionary Guards commander said on Saturday that he told authorities about the unintentional missile strike the day it happened.
Even as top Iranian officials and the military issued apologies, protests against authorities spread across Iran including in the capital Tehran, Shiraz, Esfahan, Hamedan and Orumiyeh. Foreign governments condemned Iran’s shootdown, with Ukraine demanding compensation. Canada, Ukraine and Britain, however, called Tehran’s admission an important first step.
“What Iran has admitted to is very serious. Shooting down a civilian aircraft is horrific. Iran must take full responsibility,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose country had 57 citizens on board, told reporters in Ottawa. “Canada will not rest until we get the accountability, justice, and closure that the families deserve.”
Trudeau said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani committed to collaborating with Canadian investigators, working to de-escalate tensions in the region and continuing a dialogue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Iran’s acknowledgement was a step in the right direction but added, “The perpetrators must be held accountable.”
Writing on Twitter, Zelenskiy said Rouhani had apologised to him on behalf of his country. Zelenskiy demanded that the victims be identified and returned to Ukraine at once.
Up to 1,000 protesters chanted slogans in Tehran against the authorities, the semi-official Fars news agency said.
A British envoy to Tehran was detained for several hours in front of Amir Kabir University for inciting anti-government protesters, the Tehran-based Tasnim news agency said.
The crash heightened international pressure on Iran after months of friction with the United States and tit-for-tat attacks. Canada and the United States had both said early on that they believed an Iranian missile brought down the aircraft, probably in error.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake,” Rouhani wrote on Twitter, promising that those responsible 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.
The flight to Kiev, came down shortly after take-off from Tehran, when Iran was alert for US reprisals after launching rockets at US troops in Iraq.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Iran’s admission was “an important first step” and that it was vital that all leaders follow a diplomatic way forward. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, in a rare step, apologized to the nation and accepted full responsibility.
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