Iran apologises for shooting down Ukranian passenger plane

Iran has finally taken responsibility for a Ukrainian passenger airplane that was shot down days ago.

After denying US and Canada’s accusations, Iran has finally said it made an “unforgivable mistake” by shooting down the plane, killing all 176 passengers.

Following the act Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had called on Iran to make an official apology. He also urged the Islamic nation to cooperate with Ukrainian investigators as well as pay compensation for the damages.

In addition to the Iranian President’s apology its foreign minister, Javad Zarif, also took to social media to say it was a “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” he added.

The country’s military on its part has also apologized for the move, stating that it will take measures to ensure such an error never repeats itself.

The Ukrainian plane was shot down at a time when tensions between Iran and the US were high following the killing of Iranian top military commander, Soleimani.

According to The Guardian, the jetliner, a Boeing 737, went down on the outskirts of Tehran during takeoff a few hours after Iran had launched a barrage of missiles at US forces in Iraq in the early hours of Wednesday.

The US it should be noted just added more sanctions on Iran. According to Biston25news, Trump issued an executive order adding additional U.S. sanctions to the already long list his administration had imposed.

This the media suggests is in an effort to force Iran to accept a new agreement that would curb its nuclear program and to halt support for militant groups throughout the Middle East.

Pic: Al Jazeera