Iran on Wednesday said it would pay $ 150,000 to the families of the 176 victims of a Ukrainian passenger plane shot down by Iranian forces near Iraq in January.
The announcement by the official IRNA news agency comes just over a week before the commemoration of the January 8 accident. Diplomats from countries that have lost civilians have called on Iran to cooperate more on the investigation and compensation issues. Iran has not specified a timeline for the $ 150,000 compensation.
FILE: Rubbish debris at the scene where a Ukrainian plane crashed in Shahedshahr southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran.
(AP)
Iran initially denied that it had shot down the plane, but later – after Western intelligence reports and international pressure building – admitted that its army had mistakenly shot at the Ukrainian plane.
The crash of the plane occurred when tensions between Iran and the US reached a fever. Less than a week earlier, a U.S. drone strike had killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, sparking fears of further violence in the region.
Tehran blames the “human error” for the shooting and says in a report released during the summer that those who had a faulty line battery incorrectly identified the civilian flight as a threat and fired twice without approving the to get officials. .
Canadian authorities argue that Iran has not provided all relevant evidence or provided satisfactory answers to a number of ongoing questions, including the identities of those responsible for the descent, the exact series of events that led to the Revolutionary Guard has a shot on fire and the decision to leave Iranian airspace open to civilian traffic the same night that Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at U.S. troops in Iraq.
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According to officials, there were 167 passengers and nine crew members from various countries, including 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians, 17 Swedes, 11 Ukrainians, four Afghans and four British nationals. .
The governments of the five countries affected have been demanding for months that Tehran accept ‘full responsibility’ for the accident and pay compensation to the victims’ families in accordance with international agreements.
FILE: The partner of Julia Sologub, a member of the flight crew of the Ukrainian plane 737-800 that crashed on the outskirts of Tehran, reacts while holding a portrait of her at a memorial at Borispil International Airport in Kyiv , Ukraine.
(AP)
Iran, in turn, sent mixed messages about compensation, while the head of the country’s chief insurance agency said in October that Iran would refuse to pay grants because the plane was “insured by European companies.” Other Iranian officials, meanwhile, have promised to negotiate compensation with the five countries.
“We have made a mistake, but the basis of the compensation must be decided,” Foreign Minister Mohsen Baharvand said in September. “We have told our Ukrainian colleagues that international regulations are our basis.”
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The association representing the families of victims issued a statement last week blocking Iran’s compensation offer and demanding an independent and transparent investigation into the crash.
“The families are vigilant and will not sign any document,” the statement said. “The killer cannot regret the role of mourning.”
Associated Press contributed to this report.