A Boeing 737 bound for Ukraine crashed just minutes after taking off from Tehran, Iran, but no official statement has been given as to what happened.
Initially, Ukraine’s embassy in Iran said that the crash was the result of an engine malfunction, however that statement was revoked. Officials in Ukraine later said “any statements regarding the causes of the accident prior to the decision of the commission are not official.”
The crash occurred hours after Iran began launching missiles at bases holding American soldiers in Iraq.
NBC News reports that Ukraine International Airlines said that the aircraft had been carrying citizens of Canada, Iran, Sweden and Ukraine. It has suspended flights to Tehran indefinitely. Ukraine’s foreign minister separately said there were four passengers from Afghanistan, three from Germany, and three from Britain.
During a press conference, a spokesperson for the airline said that the plane was in excellent condition, and was serviced the previous day.
According to international law, the country where the plane crashes is in charge of handling the investigation. Since the plane was a U.S.-made Boeing aircraft, it would be typical for the U.S. and the company to be involved, however there’s a high likelihood that won’t happen.
“This is a tragic event and our heartfelt thoughts are with the crew, passengers, and their families,” Boeing said in a statement. “We are in contact with our airline customer and stand by them in this difficult time. We are ready to assist in any way needed.”
Reuters reports that Iran has recovered the plane’s “black box”, but have not indicated whether or not they will bring in outside help. Chances are, they won’t be asking the United States or any of our allies.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky reportedly instructed the country’s prosecutor general to open criminal proceedings over the crash.
The Sun says that the plane may have been shot down by nervous Iranian defences in the aftermath of the missile attacks.
The strikes were codenamed Operation Martyr Soleimani – in retaliation for the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in a US air raid last week.
Aviation experts have now suggested a “shootdown” was the most likely explanation for the disaster.
Which is more likely, that a plane that was serviced the day before had an engine burst into flames, or that a country launching missiles at the same time happened to hit a plane filled with innocent people?
Perhaps the black boxes recovered will reveal what happened, but don’t count on Iran allowing anyone else to see them.
Conservative Daily Update 