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Iran admitted on Saturday 11 January that it had shot down the Ukrainian Airlines Boeing 737 " by mistake ". President Hassan Rohani has apologized for his country, " a tragedy and an unforgivable mistake ," but Iran still points to the United States.
After takeoff, " Ukrainian Flight 752 appeared to be approaching a sensitive military center ," said the Revolutionary Guards, and it was mistaken for a cruise missile.
The missile operator who shot down the Ukrainian Boeing is said to have fired without being able to obtain confirmation of a firing order due to telecom “jamming”. The soldier flew for a " cruise missile " and had " 10 seconds to decide, " said Brigadier-General Amirali Hajizadeh, commander of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace branch. " He could decide to shoot or not to shoot [but] he made the wrong decision, " added the officer.
" It was a short-range missile that exploded near the plane. This explains why the plane could continue to fly, "the general said in a statement broadcast by state television.
Khamenei asks to remedy any " negligence "
" I take full responsibility for this disaster and I will bow to any decision that will be made, " said the general again, adding: "I would have preferred to die rather than witness such an accident". This error was however committed " in times of crisis caused by the American adventurism ", estimated for his part the Iranian foreign minister, in an allusion to the tension caused by the death eight days ago of the Iranian general Quassem Soleimani, shot down by an American drone.
In Iran, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already ordered the armed forces to remedy any “ negligence ”. And Tehran announced that the person responsible for this " tragedy " would immediately be brought to justice.
A relief for Kiev
The Iranian confession was in any case welcomed as a relief in Kiev, report by our correspondent on site Sébastien Gobert . " It is far from a happy morning, but it has at least brought the truth to us, " said President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who had previously refused to support the American missile-firing theory , Canadians and the British until the Ukrainian investigators on site had analyzed the black box and reconstructed the cabin.
It was yesterday that they obtained convincing results, in particular traces of impact under the front part of the Boeing which would have damaged the plane and destroyed its communication system. The discovery of these elements could have pushed Iran to admit its guilt.
The Ukrainian president is due to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart this Saturday afternoon. Volodymyr Zelenskiy is now awaiting convictions against those responsible for the shooting, the rapid repatriation of the bodies of the victims, and financial compensation for their families. The investigation must continue to the end without " artificial delays and obstacles ", demands the president. He addresses both the Iranian authorities and his public opinion in Ukraine, infinitely shocked by the tragedy.
► Iran: the army admits having shot down the Ukrainian Boeing by mistake