Ukraine Demands Compensation From Iran After It Admits Shooting Down Airliner
Volodymyr Zelensky insisted country issue full apology
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Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky demanded Iran issue a full apology and pay compensation after the country admitted it shot the Ukrainian airliner and killed all 176 people on board.
Tehran admitted that it "unintentionally" downed the commercial airliner with a surface-to-air missile.
Zelensky responded to the news saying:
“Iran has pleaded guilty to downing the Ukrainian plane. But we insist on a full admission of guilt,” he said, RadioFreeEurope reported.
“We expect from Iran assurances of their readiness for a full and open investigation, bringing those responsible to justice, the return of the bodies of the dead, the payment of compensation, official apologies through diplomatic channels,” he added.
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Among the victims of the plane crash were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three British nationals.
U.S. intelligence reportedly saw Iranian radar lock onto the jet before it was shot down.
Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani, released statements Saturday morning claiming the country's military “unintentionally” shot down the jetliner.
The first announcement came Saturday via Iranian state television and referred to a statement from the military, citing “human error” for the strike, according to The Associated Press.
#Iran has bulldozed the crash site of the Ukrainian plane that was shot down by an Iranian missile, killing all 176 people on board, before outside investigators could examine the evidence, according to reports.
— Neon Nettle (@NeonNettle) January 11, 2020
READ MORE: https://t.co/RYqDpGfMnD
#PS752 #IranPlaneCrash
Obama Granted Amnesty to Terrorist Soleimani as Part of Iran Deal | Neon Nettle https://t.co/ruLojs6JQw
— Montgomery Granger (@mjgranger1) January 9, 2020
The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake.
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) January 11, 2020
My thoughts and prayers go to all the mourning families. I offer my sincerest condolences. https://t.co/4dkePxupzm
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In a separate statement on Twitter, Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif, said "US adventurism" led Iran to shoot down the airplane full of innocent people, implying that President Trump was to blame.
Iran's President Rouhani also tweeted claiming that "human error" caused the "horrific crash," while vowing to "identify & prosecute" those responsible for "this great tragedy & unforgivable mistake."
On Friday, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed during a Thursday press conference that intelligence suggests Iran shot down the Ukranian airliner with a missile, while also implying that US President Donald Trump is partially to blame for the incident.
