Pentagon Officials Say Ukrainian Plane Was ‘Shot Down’ By Iranian Missiles

• The tragic crash of a Ukrainian passenger plane, which claimed 176 lives, was believed to have been caused by technical failure.
• However, new information suggests it may have been accidentally shot by missiles fired by Iran.

Days ago, reports told us that the a Ukrainian passenger plane taking off from Iran’s Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport tragically crashed because of technical problems. New evidence, however, suggest that may not exactly be the case.

Now officials from the Pentagon are now looking at the possibility that the aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft missiles from Iran. This is despite the insistence of Iranian authorities that what happened can all be blamed to engine malfunction.

The tragic plane crash claimed 176 lives.

Ali Abedzadeh, head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation (CAOI), said in an ISNA News Agency interview that it is “scientifically impossible” that a missile hit the plane. “Such rumors are illogical,” he added.

Despite that, a US official believes that the ill-fated aircraft was taken down by Iran – and Ukraine officials seem to agree.

Secretary Oleksiy Danilov of Ukraine’s Security Council shared with the media that new information point out that “elements of a missile” were discovered near the crash site.

It was probably shot down by accident.

“It was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood,” US President Donald Trump said, when asked about his thoughts. “Somebody could have made a mistake on the other side.”

In an Associated Press interview, former Ukraine International Airlines mechanic Oleksandr Zaprozchenko described the aircraft as “one of the most reliable out there,” noting he knew a crew member and the plane didn’t have any problems.

The black boxes have been recovered but so far, Iran wouldn’t share them.

Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs deputy Minister Sergiy Kylystsya:

“We insist Iran give us full access to the investigation and to the materials of the investigation and I call on everyone to avoid any speculations.”

Watch the ABC News Australia report here: