Iran yesterday denied Western allegations a Ukrainian jetliner that crashed outside Tehran was brought down by an Iranian missile, and called on the US and Canada to share information they have on the crash, which killed all 176 people onboard.
Western leaders said the plane appeared to have been unintentionally hit by a surface-to-air missile near Tehran, just hours after Iran launched a series of ballistic missiles at two US bases in Iraq to avenge the killing of a top general in an US airstrike last week.
US, Canadian and British officials said it was “highly likely” that Iran shot down the plane on Tuesday.
Photo: EPA-EFE
US officials said the jetliner might have been mistakenly identified as a threat.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose country lost at least 63 citizens in the downing, said: “We have intelligence from multiple sources including our allies and our own intelligence.”
“The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile,” Trudeau said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison offered similar statements.
The US officials did not say what intelligence they had that pointed to an Iranian missile, believed to be fired by a Russian Tor system, known to NATO as the SA-15, but they acknowledged the existence of satellites and other sensors in the region, as well as the likelihood of communication interceptions and other intelligence.
Iranian officials denied the claims.
“What is obvious for us, and what we can say with certainty, is that no missile hit the plane,” Iranian Civil Aviation Organization chief executive Ali Abedzadeh told a news conference.
“If they are really sure, they should come and show their findings to the world” in accordance with international standards, Abedzadeh said.
Hassan Rezaeifar, the head of the Iranian investigation team into the crash told the same news conference that recovering data from the flight recorders could take more than a month and that the entire investigation could stretch into next year.
He also said that Iran might request help from international experts if it is not able to extract the flight recordings.
The Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Abbas Mousavi as saying that Iran “has invited both Ukraine and the Boeing company to participate in the investigations.”
Mousavi said that the ministry would also welcome experts from other countries’ whose citizens died in the crash.
The US National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday said that it would “evaluate its level of participation,” but its role could be limited by US sanctions on Iran.
US officials have also expressed concern about sending employees to Iran because of tensions.
Under rules set by a UN aviation organization, the US agency is entitled to participate because the crash involved a Boeing 737-800 jet that was designed and built in the US.
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