Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry: We Have Not Received Iran’s Final Report on Flight 752
Iran has repeatedly stated that it has submitted the report on the downing of Ukrainian flight 752; however, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister says his country has not received any documentation from Iran.
The Islamic Republic has repeatedly stated that it has finalized the technical report on the downing of Ukrainian flight 752 and sent it to Ukrainian authorities; however, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister has stated that his country has not yet received any documentation from Iran.
Yevhen Yenin, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, in an interview with local radio Heromadsk, as reported by Ukraine’s news agency, said: “We have heard several times from Iranian officials that the report has been finalized and its translation is in the final stages. I have heard the same thing almost every week in recent months, but we have not received any documentation. According to the Chicago Convention, Iran is obligated to submit an interim final report if technical investigations are not completed within one year of the disaster.”
He added that the final report on the technical investigations mentioned is necessary both for legal reviews and for identifying those responsible, determining compensation, and other matters.
Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister clarified: “We are eagerly awaiting receipt of the technical investigation report. Only after receiving this report can we discuss the actual causes of the disaster. I can only assure you that Ukraine will rely on an objective and impartial investigation. We have repeatedly emphasized to the Iranian side that no attempt to intimidate or divert us will be effective.”
According to the news report, based on reports from Islamic Republic media, Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization provided a report on technical investigations related to the downing of flight 752 and presented it to the relevant countries on Monday (December 21) in a video conference.
The public relations office of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization officially announced on Wednesday, December 23, that a video conference meeting was held on December 1 between the country’s aviation accident investigation team and representatives of countries related to this incident.
According to the report, in addition to Canada, Sweden, Britain, and Germany, whose nationals were on the aircraft, the United States as the aircraft’s designer and manufacturer, Ukraine as the country of aircraft registration and operation, France as the country that provided technical assistance for examining the black box, and representatives of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) were present at the meeting.
Based on Iranian media reports, in accordance with ICAO standards, the draft accident investigation report will be sent to countries that participated in the investigations. Iran has given various countries two months to submit their comments before the final report is published.
A Shrouded Tragedy
In approximately two weeks, on December 18, it will be one year since the downing of the Ukrainian aircraft by Revolutionary Guard missiles near Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran. In this incident, 176 people lost their lives, most of whom were Canadian citizens.
The Islamic Republic, which denied shooting down the aircraft during the first three days after the incident, eventually claimed after evidence and reports about the missile strike emerged that the Revolutionary Guards’ air defense had mistakenly identified the aircraft as a cruise missile and shot it down.
Despite the fact that at that time the Revolutionary Guards were on full alert, Iran did not cancel commercial flights; an action that some have referred to as providing a “human shield” to prevent potential retaliatory attacks by the United States.
Families of many victims as well as officials from Canada and Ukraine say they doubt Iran will provide an honest report about the actual circumstances of the incident.
After retrieving the black box, officials from Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization claimed that only 19 seconds of the conversation of the three pilots after the first missile strike were recorded, and after the second missile, no sound from the cockpit was recorded due to “significant damage.”
Canada, dissatisfied with the investigation process, says that if the families of the victims are not satisfied with the final report, it will take the case to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
In contrast, Iranian officials have accused the Canadian government of politically exploiting the situation and intending to characterize the aircraft shooting as “intentional.”
On Monday, December 1, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman responded to statements by François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s foreign minister, regarding the implausibility of “human error” in the downing of the Ukrainian passenger aircraft in early January this year.
According to ISNA news agency, Saeed Khatibzadeh described the Canadian foreign minister’s remarks as “unacceptable” and said: “Canadian officials have had the most inappropriate interference in this matter from day one and attempted to prevent the natural course of clarifying the matter, their behavior is completely political and illegal, and they are trying to create an atmosphere with these statements.”
