Protests in Iran after government admits it accidentally shot down Ukrainian airliner

This appeared in The Millennial Source

On January 8, a Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight carrying 176 passengers crashed shortly after takeoff in Tehran, killing everyone on board.

Initially, Iran claimed the plane went down due to technical failure. Several days later, however, evidence emerged of foul play.

Western powers, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, went public with allegations that the crash was not as a result of malfunction. A rocket had apparently been launched from the ground, taking down the aircraft during flight.

Now, Iran admits that its military shot down the passenger plane, albeit accidentally.

In a tweet, Iran’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote that internal investigations found ‘human error at the time of crisis caused by US adventurism’ led to the disaster. He gave his condolences to the families and nations involved.

The rocket was launched shortly after Iranian missiles targeted American military installations in response to the United States’ assassination of Iranian Commander Qasem Soleimani.