Another Admission of “Negligence and Carelessness”; Who is Responsible for Flights that Fail to Reach Their Destination in Iran?

Perhaps if US officials had not immediately declared the Ukrainian passenger plane crash suspicious and the Canadian government had not pursued the details of this suspicious crash, the Islamic Republic authorities would have continued to declare the plane crash as a “technical defect” for the first three days after the incident and would not have admitted that the missile strike by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was the cause of the crash.

But now, more than ever before, there are ambiguities and questions about the numerous aviation incidents in Iran, especially since today the Islamic Consultative Assembly announced after 27 months that Aseman Airlines provided false information about the Tehran-Yasuj plane crash and, along with Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, is the main culprit in the crash. However, before this, like most aviation accidents in Iran, the pilot was blamed.

Now the obvious question is: in how many other crashes have officials and authorities been the main culprits, and what guarantee exists that this series of mistakes will not be repeated and will not claim the lives of Iranian citizens again?

Below is a review of the most important aviation disasters in Iran over the past 10 years and the stated reasons for them:

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752

December 9, 2019 – 179 dead – Cause: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missile strike – Investigation results: Unclear due to Iran’s refusal to hand over the black box

Tehran-Yasuj Flight Aseman Airlines

February 18, 2018 – 66 dead – Cause: Initially reported as unfavorable weather conditions and pilot error; after 27 months it was revealed that Aseman Airlines and Iran’s national airline were responsible.

Tehran-Tabas Flight Sepahan Air

August 10, 2014 – 38 dead – Cause: Technical defect

Tehran-Urmia Flight Iran Air

December 10, 2010 – 78 dead – Cause: Unfavorable weather conditions and pilot error

If we continue this list, claims of technical defects and pilot error as the cause of crashes will be repeated more and more. A claim that is difficult to accept given the history of Islamic Republic authorities in refusing to accept responsibility for errors and failures, coupled with the lack of transparency in information dissemination and the absence of free media in Iran to pursue evidence and documents.

The presence of military figures and Revolutionary Guard commanders in airlines and Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization is another issue that seriously casts doubt on specialized and technical management of Iran’s aviation transportation industry. This is not limited to Mahan Air, which is openly used for military and political purposes of the Islamic Republic and has been sanctioned by the United States, nor to Aseman Airlines, which today was revealed to be responsible for the plane crash and the deaths of 66 people, and at the time of the incident was headed by Brigadier General Hossein Alai, a former Revolutionary Guard commander.

It appears that with the prominent presence of Revolutionary Guard figures in this field, one cannot have confidence and trust in the official reports of the Islamic Republic about the reasons for plane crashes.

For example, the director-general of accident investigation at Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization stated the cause of the Ukrainian passenger plane crash was a technical defect, but after the Islamic Republic’s admission of the Revolutionary Guard missile strike, he announced that he learned of the matter through television and from then on “our investigation direction will change.”

Thus, he, who is the highest authority at Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization for investigating accidents, is informed through state media, and as he himself said, instead of conducting technical and careful investigation, he merely repeated the positions of military forces: “When they didn’t give us information, we didn’t know what happened.”

In the Name of the Iranian People, at the Service of Terrorist Groups

Iran’s aviation fleet is aging. US officials have repeatedly warned that instead of using the country’s resources for the welfare of its own people, the Iranian regime uses them to support terrorism around the world.

Mike Pompeo said a month ago about Iran’s response to coronavirus that the Iranian regime spends the country’s wealth on terrorism and says it has no money to care for its people.