Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Latest on Ukrainian Plane Shooting by Iran


Fri 17 Jan 2020 | 01:29 PM
Nawal Sayed

The bodies of all 11 Ukrainians who died in last week’s plane crash in Iran have been identified and will be transported back to Ukraine on Jan. 19, according to a statement by the interior ministry to Reuters on Thursday.

"An Iranian representative will visit Ukraine next week following the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran last week," Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko told parliament on Friday.

He said Tehran was willing to pass on to Ukraine the data and voice recorders from the flight after they had been examined by a joint investigation team comprising experts from Iran, Canada, and Ukraine.

The airliner was struck by a missile on Jan. 8 shortly after leaving Tehran en route to Kiev. Iran admitted on Saturday it had shot down the plane in error.

The five countries whose citizens died when Iran shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane have said Tehran should pay compensation to the families of the victims, saying the world is watching for its response.

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On Wednesday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that they have arrested the person who filmed the downing of a Ukrainian plane, Flight PS752, with an Iranian missile last week, killing all 176 passengers on board.

The IRGC have disclosed that investigations into the identification of the person who released the security camera footage showing the downing of the Ukrainian plane, began shortly after the video went viral online. It is believed that the person being detained will face charges relating to national security.

Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, stated that the investigation would be overseen by a “special court”.

The Iranian regime is investigating how a cyber-attack by the US may have been the reason why the Iranian weapon system operator confused the passenger aircraft for a cruise missile.

The operator then mistook the Ukrainian passenger plane for an incoming American missile and fired at it.

The Iranians believe that the Americans disabled their radar system after Iran fired missiles at US troops housed in Iraqi bases in Anbar and Erbil.