The Ukrainian plane that crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran was shot down by mistake. In the end, it was Iran itself who recognized it: it was their missiles that shot down the Ukrainian plane. "The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake and the investigation will continue to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of this great tragedy and unforgivable mistake," he says Iranian President Hassan Rouhani with a post on his Twitter account.
“Those involved in the crash of the Ukrainian plane will soon be prosecuted,” Rohani assures. Expressing regret and condolences on behalf of the Islamic Republic, the President of Iran stressed that legal measures against “those who made the mistake” and people will be notified of the results. Finally, Rohani called for the removal of weaknesses in the country's defense system. However, all this effort will not be enough to avoid the consequences of such an act.
In fact, one was aimed against Iran j'accuse international, with the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau who on Thursday evening claimed to be in possession of evidence demonstrating that the plane may have been hit "unintentionally" by an Iranian missile. Mike Pompeo, speaking at the White House, he said "we believe it is probable that the plane was shot down by an Iranian missile", adding that, when definitive evidence arrives, “we and the world will adopt the appropriate response”.
The USA, even before receiving confirmation from Tehran, had already taken harsh measures, tightening sanctions against Iran. The measures affect various sectors, including manufacturing, textiles and mining (steel and aluminum in particular), as well as eight executives believed to be involved in the attack. Donald Trump in the executive order authorizing the sanctions accuses Iran of being "the world's leading sponsor of terrorism".
“I, Donald Trump, President of the United States, note that Iran continues to be the world's leading sponsor of terrorism and that Iran has threatened American military and civilian facilities through the use of military force and the support of militias supported by Iran,” reads the executive order, which stresses that US policy remains to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. For this reason, Trump notes, Washington wants to prevent the Iranian government from gaining economic resources to finance "its nuclear program, missile development, terrorism, terrorist proxy networks and its malign regional influence".
