Pentagon sources: Ukrainian plane shot down by Iranians with a missile

(Patria) - A Ukrainian plane that crashed near Tehran, Iran on Tuesday was shot down by a Russian missile fired by Iranians, "Newsweek" reported, citing Pentagon sources. Iranian civil aviation authorities have dismissed media reports that the Ukrainian passenger plane, which took off from Tehran, was shot down by their missile as "scientifically impossible," calling such scenarios "illogical rumors."

As reported by AFP, an unnamed high-ranking US intelligence official said the plane was shot down by a Russian Tor-M1 surface-to-air missile. The Pentagon estimates that the plane was shot down accidentally.

The Ukrainian plane crashed near Tehran on Tuesday from an altitude of two kilometers, killing all 176 passengers and crew members.

US President Donald Trump, responding to reporters' questions in Washington today, said he had his suspicions regarding the crash of the Ukrainian plane in Iran.

"It was flying over a difficult part of town," Trump said, alluding to the fact that the plane crashed the same night Iran bombed US bases in Iraq.

He emphasized that some believe the plane crashed due to mechanical problems.