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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday admitted the Ukrainian airliner was shot down by Iranian forces. In a statement, he said his country is "deeply sorry by this disastrous mistake" and promised to "take all necessary measures to compensate and sympathize with the bereaved families."
"Armed Forces' internal investigation has concluded that regrettably, missiles fired due to human error caused the horrific crash of the Ukrainian plane death of 176 innocent people," he said on Twitter, extending his deepest condolences to the families of the victims.
"Investigations continue to identify prosecute this great tragedy unforgivable mistake," Rouhaniadded.
In the statement, Rouhani promised to further investigate and identify the causes and roots of the incident while emphasizing the necessity to address the "weaknesses of the country's defense systems" to avoid the same disaster happening again.
Apart from compensating measures to the families, the president also called for "full cooperation" regarding the identification and returning of the bodies of victims.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also said in a tweet on Saturday that "human error at a time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism led to disaster."
"Our profound regrets, apologies and condolences to our people, to the families of victims, and to other affected nations," the foreign minister wrote.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said information should be publicly announced after a meeting of Iran's top security body, according to reports by Iranian semi-official Fars news agency.
A Boeing 737 plane operated by Ukraine International Airlines was "unintentionally" shot down by Tehran on Wednesday. All 176 people on board, consisting of 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries,were killed in the crash.
Zelensky: The guilty must be brought to courts
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a speech on Saturday, demanding Iran to punish those responsible for downing a Ukrainian airliner and pay compensation.
"We expect Iran... to bring the guilty to the courts," the Ukrainian leader wrote on Twitter, calling also for compensation and the return of victims' remains.
"We hope the inquiry will be pursued without deliberate delay and without obstruction," Zelensky said, adding he urged "total access" to the full inquiry for 45 Ukrainian experts, and in a tweet also sought an "official apology" through diplomatic channels.
U.S., Canada, France to attend plane crash investigation meeting in Iran
Debris from the Ukraine International Airlines plane that crashed after takeoff from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport is pictured on the outskirts of Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2020. /Reuters Photo
Three days after the tragedy, the Iranian military admitted the flight was accidentally shot down because it had been mistaken for a "hostile plane" at a time when enemy threats were at the highest level.
The military also ordered relevant departments to give detailed explanations to people as soon as possible and promised reformat the force level to prevent such mistakes again.
The shocking admission came after rounds of denials in the past days.
Canada and others said Friday the Ukrainian jetliner was brought down by an Iranian missile, probably by mistake.
The claims were fiercely rebutted by Iranian aviation authority as political statements against Tehran made with a lack of evidence and data.
Ukraine International Airlines has dismissed on several occasions that its plane or its crew were the cause of the crash.
(With input from AFP)
(Cover: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visits the family of the Iranian Major-General Qasem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, who was killed by an air strike in Baghdad, at his home in Tehran, Iran, January 4, 2020. /Reuters Photo)
