Iran "Accidentally Shot Down Ukrainian Passenger Plane"... Potential Clash with US (Comprehensive Report 2)

Accidental Shooting Admitted 3 Days After Incident
Iranian President Calls It an "Unforgivable Tragedy"
May Escalate into Diplomatic Issue Among Related Countries

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Iran recently acknowledged on the 11th (local time) that the Ukrainian passenger plane accident near Tehran was unintentionally shot down. This marks the end of their previous claims of innocence and the official admission of mistaken shooting.

According to the AP News Agency, Iranian military authorities stated in a morning press release that "the shooting down of the Ukrainian passenger plane was a (human) error." The military explained, "Heightened alert was maintained due to escalating tensions with the United States," and "under such circumstances, the plane was unintentionally shot down due to human error," thereby admitting that the passenger plane was brought down by their forces.

This is the first time Iran has admitted to shooting down the plane with a missile, coming just three days after the accident. Until now, Iran had denied missile strike theories mainly raised by the United States and others.

The Ukrainian passenger plane that was shot down crashed on the 8th while en route from Imam Khomeini Airport on the outskirts of Tehran to Kyiv, Ukraine, for unknown reasons. All 176 passengers on board died. The United States, Canada, and others had suggested the possibility of mistaken shooting by Iran. This incident occurred just hours after Iran launched missiles at U.S. military bases in Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force.

In the U.S., anonymous senior officials and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed in media interviews that the likelihood of a shootdown was high. U.S. President Donald Trump also suggested the possibility of mistaken shooting, saying, "Someone other than our system might have made a mistake." Other world leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, also supported the shootdown theory based on evidence obtained by intelligence agencies.

The accident resulted in victims of various nationalities, including Iranians, Canadians, Ukrainians, Swedes, Germans, and British. Among them, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, whose country lost 57 citizens, has promised a thorough investigation. Ukraine, the country involved in the accident, is reportedly analyzing the black box contents through a joint investigation with Iran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed condolences via Twitter immediately after the military announcement, stating, "Iran deeply regrets this tragic mistake. This incident is an unforgivable tragedy." However, there are concerns that this issue could ignite another spark in the already tense U.S.-Iran military conflict or escalate into a diplomatic problem among the involved countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.