Iranian state TV: Iran “unintentionally” shot down the Ukrainian plane

Iran admitted that the Ukrainian passenger aircraft had been shot down by human error and unintentionally early Wednesday, killing all 176 people aboard.

In a military statement released earlier Saturday, it is stated that “Hours after the missile operation in Iraq, US military flights around the borders of Iran increased and Iranian military officials reported seeing aerial targets that were coming towards Iran’s strategic centers. Numerous defense centers around Iran reported seeing increased radar activity which caused a heightened sensitivity in the aerial defense centers of the country. Under such sensitive and crucial conditions, Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 took off from Imam Khomeini Airport and while in rotation, the aircraft came close to a sensitive military center at an altitude and flight condition that resembled hostile targeting. Due to these circumstances, the aircraft was unintentionally hit, which unfortunately resulted in the death of the many Iranian and foreign nationals.”

Before now, Iranian officials had denied the claims on the plane had been shot down by Iran. That is to say that countries, such as Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, had said the plane had been shot down.

The Ukrainian plane crashed on Wednesday morning after flying from Imam Khomeini Airport, killing 176 people, including 10 Afghan nationals.