After first denying responsibility for the Ukrainian airliner that crashed near Tehran, killing everyone onboard, Iranian authorities conceded early Saturday that they had accidentally shot it down — but that “U.S. adventurism” was to blame.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Sharif tweeted his official statement, calling it a “sad day” and offered “our profound regrets” to those affected by the tragic turn of events — but reserving some blame for the United States. “Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster,” his tweet read.
A sad day. Preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed Forces:
Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster
Our profound regrets, apologies and condolences to our people, to the families of all victims, and to other affected nations.
????— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 11, 2020
Zarif’s statement echoed those made by a number of media personalities and Trump critics, including some contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. (RELATED: Iranian Military Apologizes For Shooting Down Ukraine-Bound Flight, Cites ‘Human Error’: Report)
My heartfelt condolences & love to the families of victims of plane “crash” in Iran. One of the great tragedies of war are unintended consequences & so-called “collateral damage.” Once hostilities begin things quickly get out of control & no one knows where it may end #NoIranWar
— Tulsi Gabbard ???? (@TulsiGabbard) January 11, 2020
Democrat Rep. Jackie Speier Blames Trump For Iran Shooting Down Ukrainian Airplanehttps://t.co/YsKD00uPyZ pic.twitter.com/KguSF3ll5K
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 9, 2020
No one can convince me this wasn’t intentional and directly tied to @realDonaldTrump ordering #SoleimaniAssassination. And look how many innocent people are dead as a result. More blood on this sociopath’s hands… #Trump #Iran https://t.co/UzexdijQ0U
— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) January 11, 2020
If Soleimani hadn’t been assassinated, Iran wouldn’t have launched a strike against a US base
If Iran hadn’t launched the strike, a Ukrainian plane wouldn’t have been shot down
176 people lost their lives unnecessarily because of Trump’s reckless foreign policy decisions
— Edward Hardy (@EdwardTHardy) January 9, 2020
Innocent civilians are now dead because they were caught in the middle of an unnecessary and unwanted military tit for tat.
My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of all 176 souls lost aboard this flight. https://t.co/zWaVgWxfdL
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) January 9, 2020
Television personality Piers Morgan wasted no time in blasting the Iranian statement, saying, “After lying for days, Iran finally admits killing 176 innocent people by ‘accidentally’ shooting down a passenger plane. They blame ‘U.S. adventurism’. No, it was Iran’s reckless stupidity. And this terrible tragedy is far, FAR worse than killing a despicable terror chief.”
After lying for days, Iran finally admits killing 176 innocent people by ‘accidentally’ shooting down a passenger plane.
They blame ‘U.S. adventurism’.
No, it was Iran’s reckless stupidity.
And this terrible tragedy is far, FAR worse than killing a despicable terror chief. pic.twitter.com/s6YCYOeyvV— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 11, 2020
According to later reports, however, the plane may have actually been targeted intentionally. Not because the Iranians intended to take down a civilian target, but because someone made the wrong call with a limited window to determine whether it was a plane or an incoming missile.
Iranian general says they had 10 seconds to decide if they wanted to shoot what could‘ve been a cruise missile & unintentionally shot down a Ukrainian plane. So this is now not an accident while shooting into Iraq, but a direct hit at the wrong target *even from Iran’s narrative* https://t.co/uTSG7nhpfu
— Hassan Hassan (@hxhassan) January 11, 2020
Both Canada and Ukraine have demanded a “full admission of guilt” from Iran.
“Iran must take full responsibility,” Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said after Iran admitted to unintentionally shooting down a Ukrainian plane. 63 Canadians were killed in the crash. https://t.co/8azXNFObSp pic.twitter.com/EfebDPHvqn
— CNN (@CNN) January 11, 2020
Iran admitted it accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet and blamed human error, saying the plane had taken a sharp, unexpected turn that brought it near a sensitive military base. Ukraine’s president wants “a full admission of guilt” from Iran.https://t.co/6Dc9hKo04q
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 11, 2020
Most of the passengers onboard that flight were either Canadian or Ukrainian.
