Incident Resulted In The Fatal Injury Of All 176 People On Board

The Iranian government has admitted that it accidentally targeted and shot down a Ukrainian airliner last Wednesday with 176 people on board.

A statement released by the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces indicates that it had reports of multiple aircraft flying towards defense targets, causing a heightened state of alert.

"In such a sensitive and critical situation, flight 752 of Ukraine Airlines which had taken off from Imam Khomeini International Airport, moved very close to a sensitive military spot belonging to the IRGC forces when completing a loop. The altitude and the direction of the flight's movement were like an enemy target, so the aircraft was targeted unintentionally due to human error which unfortunately caused the martyrdom of a number of Iranian nationals together with a number of foreigners," the statement said.

"The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces hereby extends its condolences to the bereaved families of the victims of the incident as well as those foreign nationals aboard the flight. It also offers its apology for the human error which caused the crash."

Iran's Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif posted a tweet blaming the incident on the United States. “Human error at time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism led to disaster," Zarif said in his Tweet. "Our profound regrets, apologies and condolences to our people, to the families of all victims, and to other affected nations.”

In a statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined the steps being taken between his government and Iran in the wake of the incident. President Zelenskyy said he has had a conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and they agreed to several measures.

"We agreed that right now he would order to finish the identification of the bodies of the deceased and prepare them for the return to Ukraine as soon as possible together with Ukrainian experts. This is to happen shortly," Zelenskyy said.

"We also agreed to start working together to decipher two onboard recorders - "black boxes".

"We agreed on full legal and technical cooperation, including the issue of compensation.

"We agreed that nobody would avoid punishment.

"The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine opened an investigation for the murder of Ukrainian citizens.

The Government will provide financial assistance to the families of the victims.

"The state will also assist them in receiving compensation from the carrier, insurance companies and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"I call on all international partners of Ukraine, the entire world community to be one and persistent until the full and final investigation into all the circumstances of this disaster. All of us need it," Zelenskyy said.

"For the sake of a human who should feel safe in this turbulent world - on earth, in water or in the air. For a human and human life must be of the highest value to any government, any state, any politician."

(Image from file)

FMI: Iranian Statement
Zelenskyy Statement