Iran on Saturday said that it “unintentionally” shot down the Ukrainian aircraft that killed 176 people on board.
In a statement released by its military, it blamed “human error” for the accident and said those responsible would be held accountable.
The Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737-800, flying to Kiev (Ukraine) and carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members, crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport on Wednesday, killing all 176 people on board.
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On Thursday, US officials had claimed that the Ukrainian plane was most likely brought down ‘accidentally’ by Iranian air defences.
The crash came hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack targeting two bases in Iraq housing US forces in retaliation for the killing of Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani.