Iran says it unintentionally shot missiles at a Ukrainian civilian jetliner minutes after takeoff on Wednesday. The plane crashed on the outskirts of Tehran, killing 176 people. A statement from the Iranian military blamed human error.
Iran’s foreign minister tweeted that it was a “sad day” but that the U.S. “adventurism” had caused the disaster.
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.
????— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 11, 2020
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani noted the “death of 176 innocent people,” and called the attack an “unforgivable mistake.”
Armed Forces’ internal investigation has concluded that regrettably missiles fired due to human error caused the horrific crash of the Ukrainian plane & death of 176 innocent people.
Investigations continue to identify & prosecute this great tragedy & unforgivable mistake. #PS752— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) January 11, 2020
The Ukrainian International Airlines flight was headed for Kyiv and carried Iranian, Canadian and Ukrainian passengers and crew.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, other officials and analysts had already said it appeared the attack may have been a mistake. It came amid tensions between the U.S. and Iran following the U.S. drone strike that killed a senior Iranian military official and Iran’s missile attack on bases housing American forces in Iraq.
