DISINFO: The Ukrainian plane shot down in Iran was under US control
SUMMARY
Iranian MP Hassan Norouzi said that no one was arrested for the downing of a Ukrainian plane near Tehran in January, which contradicts official statements by the country’s authorities. “The plane was not under the control of the dispatching tower, but, apparently, was under the control of America. The aircraft was in Israel a week before the attacks, and its security system was hacked there,” he said.
RESPONSE
An unfounded claim attempting to depict the United States as the culprit of this tragedy. The Judicial Organisation of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran denied all statements by the Iranian MP, and opened a criminal case on charges of spreading lies and disturbing public peace. The head of the Judicial Organisation, Hoyatoleslam Bahrami, told the Iranian news agency ISNA that an extensive investigation had been carried out on the occasion of the Boeing disaster and officials and persons involved in this case were interviewed. Subpoenas have been issued and one person is in custody. Bahrami also added that the interview with Norouzi was his personal interpretation of what happened without knowing the details of the case, and such statements “not only impede judicial investigations, but also cause concern in society.” The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry sent a diplomatic note to Iran because of Norouzi's statement. “We will not allow Iran to escape responsibility for the tragedy that happened,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Iran has recognised that its military forces unintentionally shot down the passenger jet. On January 11, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani wrote on Twitter: “The Armed Forces’ internal investigation has concluded that regrettably, missiles fired due to human error caused the horrific crash of the Ukrainian plane & death of 176 innocent people.” Earlier, the intelligence services of Canada and the United States announced that the Ukrainian plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile minutes after departure from the Tehran airport. Find here the EU's statement regarding the incident.