Iran says it 'unintentionally' shot down Ukrainian plane

Iran says it ‘unintentionally’ shot down Ukrainian plane originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

Iran has admitted that it unintentionally shot down the Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed near Tehran Wednesday, killing all 176 people on board, according to the Associated Press.

The statement was broadcast on Iranian state TV, citing a statement from the military.

PHOTO: Bodies of the victims of a Ukrainian plane crash are collected by rescue team at the scene of the crash in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2020. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP)
PHOTO: Bodies of the victims of a Ukrainian plane crash are collected by rescue team at the scene of the crash in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2020. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP)

The plane was mistaken for a “hostile target” after it turned toward a “sensitive military center” of the Revolutionary Guard, according to a copy of the military statement translated by the Associated Press.

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

“In such a condition, because of human error and in a unintentional way, the flight was hit,” the statement said. It apologized for the disaster and said it would upgrade its systems to prevent such “mistakes” in the future, according to the AP.

MORE: Boeing 737-800 carrying at least 170 crashes in Iran after takeoff with no survivors

The statement also said those responsible for firing at the plane would be prosecuted.

In a post to Twitter, Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif blamed “human error” caused by “US adventurism.”

“A sad day. Preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed Forces: Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster,” Zarif said.

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

MORE: US believes Iran ‘likely’ shot down Ukrainian airliner: Pompeo

The crash occurred about three hours after Iran fired multiple missiles into Iraq, targeting U.S. military sites in retaliation for the recent American drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, one of its top generals.

The Boeing 737 airliner bound for Kyiv took off at 6:12 a.m. Wednesday from Tehran’s Imam Homeini International Airport but dropped off flight trackers just two minutes into the flight.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

source: yahoo.com