Ukrainian President: "Iran Must Thoroughly Investigate and Apologize for Passenger Plane Shootdown"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Iranian authorities have admitted to mistakenly shooting down a Ukrainian passenger plane, prompting demands for a thorough investigation and an official apology.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to TASS news agency, President Zelenskyy stated in an official Telegram channel on the 11th (local time), "Iran has admitted responsibility for shooting down the Ukrainian passenger plane before the international committee's work is completed," adding, "However, I urge a thorough acceptance of responsibility."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has demanded a thorough investigation and an official apology regarding the Ukrainian passenger plane being shot down by the Iranian military.

President Zelenskyy said, "Iran has admitted responsibility for shooting down the Ukrainian passenger plane before the international committee's work is completed," but also urged "a thorough acceptance of responsibility." He further stated, "We expect a thorough and transparent investigation from Iran, punishment of those responsible, repatriation of the victims' bodies, compensation payments, and an official apology through diplomatic channels."

It is reported that President Zelenskyy held a phone call with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to discuss the Iranian passenger plane shootdown incident.

Earlier, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Force explained that the operator of the air defense missile system mistook the Ukrainian passenger plane for a U.S. cruise missile and launched an interceptor missile.

President Rouhani expressed, "Iran deeply regrets this tragic mistake. This incident is an unforgivable tragedy."

The passenger plane, which departed from Tehran heading to Kyiv, crashed shortly after takeoff on the 8th, killing all on board. At the time of the accident, the Iranian military launched missile attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Quds Force, by U.S. forces.

After the plane crashed, Western countries including the U.S. and Canada suggested the possibility that the Iranian military had mistakenly shot it down, but Iran denied related suspicions citing "psychological warfare" and other reasons. Subsequently, Iran reversed its stance and acknowledged responsibility for the incident.

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