BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS: Iran admits shooting down Ukrainian passenger airliner

Ukraine Int Airlines flight PS752 took off from one of your own airports. The plane didn’t just cross into in your airspace from outside, so you must have known what it was – or is your air traffic control (and your air defense system) really that useless?

Why the lies before – you knew you had fired the missile even before it struck the plane – or are your command and control systems really that useless?

Are you still lying now – if it was all a big mistake shouldn’t you have admitted it straight away – or are you that useless?

Did you use Trudeau’s Canadian aid to pay for the surface to air missile, or was it Obama’s hand out – (we already know they are that useless)?

Senior Iranian Commander Bragged of Unilateral Authority to Shoot Down Planes

BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS Iran finally admits shooting down Ukrainian airliner killing 176 but blames ‘aggressive’ US for ‘catastrophic mistake’

IRAN has claimed it “unintentionally” shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing 176 people but have blamed the “aggressive” US for the “catastrophic mistake.”

By: The Sun, January 11, 2010:

The Boeing 737 flight came down on Tuesday, hours after Tehran launched a barrage of rockets against US targets in Iraq.

Iran plane crash – Another bulldozer removes debris from the ‘crime scene’ site

Wreckage from the jet which was shot down on Tuesday by Iranian forcesCredit: AFP or licensors

And now, after repeated denials, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has admitted his forces gunned down the civilian aircraft because they mistook it for an American fighter plane.

In a statement, he said: “In an atmosphere of threats and intimidation by the aggressive American regime against the Iranian nation following the martyrdom of general Qasem Soleimani and with the aim of defending against possible US Army attacks, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Armed Forces were on full alert, when unfortunately a human error and miscalculated shooting caused a major catastrophe and dozens of innocent people fell victim to it.”

The Iranian leader also offered his “deep condolences” to the families of the victims and said the country’s Foreign Ministry would work to identify and bring bodies back to their countries.

Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, has also offered condolences over the plane disaster and called for an investigation.

Earlier military officials reportedly told Iranian state TV they “unintentionally” shot down Ukrainian jetliner they mistook the jet as a hostile target after it turned toward a sensitive center of the Revolutionary Guard.

“The military was at its highest level of readiness,” said their statement, referencing the heightened tensions with the United States.

“In such a condition, because of human error and in a unintentional way, the flight was hit,” it read.

The Iranian military apologized for the disaster, promising to upgrade their systems to prevent such mistakes in the future.

Pictures released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office shows detail of the wreckage including small holes which were pierced into the metal exterior of the jetCredit: AP:Associated Press

Iran has admitted its forces shot down the plane because they believed the aircraft was a US bomber heading towards a military facilityCredit: AP:Associated Press

File picture showing Iranian soldiers preparing to launch a Hawk surface-to-air missile during military manoeuvresCredit: AFP – Getty

They said those responsible for the strike on the plane would be prosecuted.

“A sad day,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted today.

“Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster.”

The Boeing 737 operated by Ukrainian International Airlines, went down on the outskirts of Tehran after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport.

Iran’s acknowledgement of responsibility for the crash is likely to inflame public sentiment against authorities following General Soleimani’s killing last week.
What we know so far:

The beloved general died in a drone strike ordered by President Trump was seen as a national icon in Iran.

Soleimani was killed days after Iran-backed militias attacked the US embassy in Iraqi capital Baghdad.

The jet disaster crash comes just weeks after Iranian authorities quashed nationwide protests ignited by a hike in gasoline prices.

The plane was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members, including 82 Iranians, at least 57 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians.

After the crash, bulldozers were pictured clearing away debris at the crash site.

It was feared the machines could destroy precious clues as to what really happened before international crash investigators have a chance to examine them.

Iran’s ambassador to the UK dismissed the use of bulldozers to clear the crash site as “absolutely absurd”, Sky News reports.

A sad day. Preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed Forces:

Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster

A sad day. Preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed Forces:

Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster

Our profound regrets, apologies and condolences to our people, to the families of all victims, and to other affected nations.

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 11, 2020

Payman Parseyan, a prominent Iranian-Canadian in western Canada who lost a number of friends in the crash, said Iran’s admission was the right step.

“I think the investigation would have disclosed it whether they admitted it or not,” he said. “This will give them an opportunity to save face.”

This comes after Iran refused to release the two black box flight recorders found at the crash site, saying they will “handle” the data themselves.

The boxes contain data and cockpit communications from the plane and are meant to be indestructible but officials said they were damaged.

Satellite data detected two surface-to-air missiles being launched just minutes after the Boeing 737 took off, the US government says.