The United States of America accuses the Iranian authorities of covering up those responsible for the plane crash of Flight PS752 – the plane of Ukraine International Airlines was shot down by two missiles shortly after takeoff from Tehran airport.
The plane crash became one of the largest in 2020, with 176 people killed, including 11 Ukrainian citizens. The missiles that shot down the liner were fired from the Russian TOR-M1 air defense system, which belongs to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Iran’s own investigation has shown that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down the plane with two surface-to-air missiles. A year later, members of the IRGC were never held responsible for the deaths of 176 innocent civilian passengers and crew members. Instead, throughout the investigation, the regime continued to defend those responsible. We look forward to the day when the Iranian authorities will value the life of the Iranian people with the same zeal with which they now cover up the crimes of officials, ” the US State Department said in a statement.
The United States joined the call from the governments of Ukraine, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Afghanistan to restore justice in memory of the victims of the plane crash.
“The American people honor the memory of the passengers and crew of Flight PS752. (…) We wish peace and strength to the families and loved ones of the victims and once again express our condolences to those who continue to grieve over their loss, ”the statement adds.
Recall that on December 31, Iran handed over to Ukraine a technical report on the circumstances of the plane crash. Now Ukraine is studying the draft report, it has two months to analyze the document and make comments and comments. After that, the Iranian side must finalize it within a month, and the document will be submitted for approval to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The final report on the technical investigation will become the basis on which both the criminal investigation and the determination of the corresponding amounts, compensation, on which negotiations with the Iranian side are underway, will be based.
The tragedy with the plane of Ukraine International Airlines is not the only example of interference in the activities of civil aviation, which led to a disaster of this magnitude. The first anniversary prompts to sum up the interim results, as well as try to answer at least some of the questions, namely: how and why it happened, who is to blame and what punishment awaits him?
