Iran's General Staff Reveals Reason for Shooting Down Ukrainian Plane
Iranian forces mistook a Ukrainian Boeing 737 for an enemy military aircraft and shot it down, the Iranian General Staff said.
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Iran's IRNA news agency quoted the Iranian General Staff as saying: "A few hours after Iran's missile strike, US warplanes increased their flights in the airspace around Iran. In addition, a series of reports came in saying that some flying targets were heading towards Iran's defense targets.
In that sensitive and important situation, Ukraine Airlines Flight 752 took off from Imam Khomeini International Airport, approaching a sensitive military point belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Its altitude and flight direction were similar to an enemy target. Therefore, due to human error, the plane was accidentally shot down.
According to the report, Iranian President Rouhani also ordered to eliminate all weaknesses in air defense systems and take all measures to prevent such disasters from happening in the future.
Iran's claim of responsibility for shooting down the Ukrainian plane is likely to raise new questions about why authorities did not close Tehran's main international airport and its airspace after it attacked US targets in Iraq and feared a US response.
A Boeing 737 operated by Ukraine International Airlines crashed on the outskirts of the Iranian capital Tehran during takeoff hours after Iran launched a missile attack on US forces in Iraq.
The plane was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members and was headed to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. Among the victims were at least 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians and 82 Iranians.
