IranB次元官网网址檚 Revolutionary Guard on Saturday acknowledged that it accidentally shot down the that crashed earlier this week, killing all 176 people aboard, after the government had repeatedly denied Western accusations and mounting evidence that it was responsible.
The plane was shot down early Wednesday, hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on two military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in an American airstrike in Baghdad. No one was hurt in the attack on the U.S. bases.
The admission raised a host of new questions, such as who authorized the strike on the plane and why Iran did not shut down its international airport or airspace when it was bracing for a U.S. reprisal. It also undermined the credibility of information provided by senior officials, who for three days had adamantly dismissed allegations of a missile strike as Western propaganda.
IranB次元官网网址檚 acknowledgment also alters the narrative around its confrontation with the U.S. in a way that could anger the Iranian public. Iran had promised harsh revenge after SoleimaniB次元官网网址檚 death, but instead of killing American soldiers, its forces downed a civilian plane in which most passengers were Iranian and none survived.
Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the GuardB次元官网网址檚 aerospace division, said his unit accepts B次元官网网址渇ull responsibilityB次元官网网址� for the shootdown. In an address broadcast by state TV, he said that when he learned about the downing of the plane, B次元官网网址淚 wished I was dead.B次元官网网址�
He said Guard forces ringing the capital had beefed up their air defences and were at the B次元官网网址渉ighest level of readiness,B次元官网网址� fearing that the U.S. would retaliate. He said the airlineB次元官网网址檚 pilot and crew had done nothing wrong, but an officer made the B次元官网网址渂ad decisionB次元官网网址� to open fire on the plane after mistaking it for a cruise missile.
B次元官网网址淲e were prepared for an all-out conflict,B次元官网网址� he said.
ALSO READ:
IranB次元官网网址檚 supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, expressed his B次元官网网址渄eep sympathyB次元官网网址� to the families of the victims and called on the armed forces to B次元官网网址減ursue probable shortcomings and guilt in the painful incident.B次元官网网址�
UkraineB次元官网网址檚 President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the crash investigation should continue and the B次元官网网址減erpetratorsB次元官网网址� should be brought to justice. He said Iran should compensate victimsB次元官网网址� families, and he requested B次元官网网址渙fficial apologies through diplomatic channels.B次元官网网址�
The Ukrainian airline criticized IranB次元官网网址檚 decision to leave its airspace open despite the hostilities.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 absolutely irresponsible,B次元官网网址� Ukraine International Airlines vice-president Ihor Sosnovskiy told reporters. B次元官网网址淭here must be protection around ordinary people. If they are shooting somewhere from somewhere, they are obliged to close the airport.B次元官网网址�
Iranians had rallied around their leaders after the killing of Soleimani, who was seen as a national icon for building up armed groups across the region that project Iranian influence and battle the Islamic State group and other perceived enemies.
Hundreds of thousands had attended funeral processions across the country in a show of support for the Islamic Republic just weeks after authorities had quashed protests ignited by a hike in gasoline prices. Iran has been in the grip of a severe economic crisis since President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions.
The shootdown of the plane and the lack of transparency around it, along with the restrained response to the killing of Soleimani, could reignite anger at the countryB次元官网网址檚 leadership.
President Hassan Rouhani acknowledged IranB次元官网网址檚 responsibility but blamed the downing of the plane in part on B次元官网网址渢hreats and bullyingB次元官网网址� by the United States after the killing of Soleimani. He expressed condolences, calling for a B次元官网网址渇ull investigationB次元官网网址� and the prosecution of those responsible.
IranB次元官网网址檚 Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also deflected some of the blame, tweeting that B次元官网网址渉uman error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster.B次元官网网址�
The jetliner, a Boeing 737 operated by Ukrainian International Airlines, went down on the outskirts of Tehran shortly after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport.
The U.S. and Canada, citing intelligence, said they believed Iran shot down the aircraft with a surface-to-air missile, a conclusion supported by videos verified by The Associated Press.
The plane, en route to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries, including 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians B次元官网网址� including many Iranians with dual citizenship B次元官网网址� and 11 Ukrainians, according to officials.
B次元官网网址淭his is the right step for the Iranian government to admit responsibility, and it gives people a step toward closure with this admission,B次元官网网址� said Payman Parseyan, a prominent Iranian-Canadian in western Canada who lost a number of friends in the crash.
B次元官网网址淚 think the investigation would have disclosed it whether they admitted it or not. This will give them an opportunity to save face.B次元官网网址�
As recently as Friday, Ali Abedzadeh, the head of the national aviation department, had told reporters B次元官网网址渨ith certaintyB次元官网网址� that a missile had not caused the crash.
On Thursday, Cabinet spokesman Ali Rabiei dismissed reports of a missile, saying they B次元官网网址渞ub salt on a painful woundB次元官网网址� for families of the victims.
Iran had also invited Ukraine, Canada, the United States and France to take part in the investigation of the crash, in keeping with international norms. The Boeing 737 was built in the United States and the engine was built by a U.S.-French consortium.
UkraineB次元官网网址檚 president said its team of investigators, who are already on the ground in Iran, should continue their work with B次元官网网址渇ull access and co-operation.B次元官网网址�
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country would remain focused on getting justice, closure, accountability and transparency for the families.
IranB次元官网网址檚 semi-official Fars news agency reported that the supreme leader on Friday morning had ordered top security officials to review the crash and announce the results.
B次元官网网址淚f some individuals, in any position, were aware of the issue but made statements contradicting the reality or hid the truth for any reason, they should be named and tried,B次元官网网址� said Fars, which is close to the Guard.
Others speculated that the security forces may have concealed information from civilian authorities.
B次元官网网址淐oncealing the truth from the administration is dreadful,B次元官网网址� Mohammad Fazeli, a sociology professor in Tehran, wrote on social media. B次元官网网址淚f it had not been concealed, the head of civil aviation and the government spokesmen would not have persistently denied it.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淐oncealing the truth for three days is dangerous,B次元官网网址� he added.
Krauss reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, Rob Gillies in Toronto, Jim Heintz in Moscow and Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine contributed to this report.
Nasser Karimi And Joseph Krauss, The Associated Press
Like us on and follow us on .
