NE NEWS SERVICE
TEHRAN, JAN 11
The Ukrainian plane crash earlier this week was caused by human error and “U.S. adventurism”, said Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a tweet on Saturday.
“A sad day, preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed Forces: Human error at time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism led to disaster,” Zarif wrote on Twitter. “Our profound regrets, apologies and condolences to our people, to the families of all victims, and to other affected nations.”
A sad day. Preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed Forces:
Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster
Our profound regrets, apologies and condolences to our people, to the families of all victims, and to other affected nations.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 11, 2020
Parties responsible for the error would be referred to a judicial department within the military and held accountable, said the Iranian military in a statement read on state TV.
The plane had flown close to a sensitive military site belonging to the elite Revolutionary Guards and was shot down unintentionally, said the statement.
All 176 people on board were killed in the crash. The Iranian military statement expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
The United States and Canada had said that the plane was shot down, a claim Iran had initially denied. Courtesy: Reuters
