After an initial denial of responsibility, Iran admitted that it had shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet by mistake, killing 176 people on board, during Iranian missile attacks on US bases in Iraq.
A military statement aired on Iran's state TV blamed “human error” for the incident.
It was followed by an apology from Iran’s president and condolences from the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The incident drew wide condemnation from many world leaders including:
Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on his Facebook page,“We are waiting for Iran to refer the culprits to the judiciary, pay compensation and return the bodies of the victims,”
"We hope the investigation will continue without deliberate delay and without obstacles ... Our experts 45 should be able to obtain" all the elements of the investigation,” he added.
Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron told Zelensky, that his country has taken formal action to open an international investigation into the crash of the Ukrainian passenger plane.
During a phone call, they agreed to help French experts in deciphering the black box of the stricken plane.
Justin Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his government expects full investigation and full cooperation from the Iranian authorities, in everything related to the Ukrainian plane incident.
"Our government focuses on accountability and justice for the victims of the Ukrainian jet,” Trudeau said, describing the incident as a “national tragedy”.
US administration spokesman
The US administration spokesman described the incident as a "terrible tragedy", which resulted from Iran's impetuous behavior, stressing that Iran must abandon its reckless ambitions.
Boris Johnson
The British Prime Minister (PM), Boris Johnson believed that Iran's admission of the downing of the Ukrainian plane is an “important first step”, stressing that his country will cooperate with Canada and Ukraine to ensure a comprehensive international investigation.
A Russian senator
Senator Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee said that Iran should learn lessons from this disaster.
Heiko Maas
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas considered that Iran should take measures to prevent such a disaster in the future.
On the other hand, thousands of Iranians took to the street, denouncing the incident. They are calling for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down and for those responsible for downing the plane to be held accountable.
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