Iran admitted: Unintentionally shot down plane killing 176 people

(Patria) - The Iranian army has officially admitted to shooting down a Ukrainian plane, causing the deaths of 176 people. It was a "human error", according to a statement released on Iranian state television. It was also emphasized that the aircraft was hit accidentally and that those responsible will be punished.

Otherwise, Iran had denied responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane "Boeing 767" with 176 passengers, which took off from Tehran on Wednesday morning, for days.

Due to the unintentional downing of the plane, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif Javad expressed deep regret, apologies, and condolences to the families of the victims. He emphasized that a human error during the crisis caused by US adventurism led to the incident.

US officials had previously said they believed the plane was shot down by two Russian surface-to-air missiles, likely accidentally. 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, and 11 Ukrainians died in the Boeing 737 of the Ukrainian airline.