Iran: Ukraine should not have released confidential audio file

An audio file of the Aseman flight pilot's conversation with the control tower indicates that Iranian officials were informed of the missile attack on the Ukrainian plane. For nearly three days, Islamic Republic officials expressed ignorance about the main cause of the plane crash.

The release of an audio file of a conversation between the co-pilot of the Tehran-Shiraz flight of Aseman Airlines by a Ukrainian television channel indicates that the airport control tower and Islamic Republic officials were informed of the missile's impact at the time the plane was hit.

On Monday, February 3, the Associated Press reported from Kiev that an audio recording of the co-pilot of an Aseman Airlines flight about a missile attack on a Ukrainian passenger plane had been released.

This audio file was released on Sunday evening, February 2, by a Ukrainian television channel. The "Onyan" website has also published the full text of the conversation between the co-pilot of the Aseman Airlines flight and the control tower in English.

The Aseman Airlines flight from Tehran to Shiraz coincided with the missile attack on the Ukrainian plane. The Aseman Airlines co-pilot reported to the control tower that the Ukrainian plane had been hit by a missile. The control tower then tried several times to contact the pilot of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. The attempt was unsuccessful due to the missile attack.

Despite knowing the main cause of the plane crash, the Islamic Republic of Iran spoke of a "technical malfunction" and an "air accident."

Following increasing international pressure, three days later, Islamic Republic officials admitted to the missile attack on the Ukrainian plane.

After that, the news that two missiles had hit a Ukrainian passenger plane made headlines. In this regard, the Islamic Republic of Iran, after initially denying it, confirmed the news that two missiles had been fired at the aforementioned plane.

Audio file confirmation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the audio file in a television report on Sunday evening, February 2. The file was then broadcast on the “1+1” television network.

The Associated Press news agency continued its report by quoting Hassan Rezaeifar, head of Iran's investigation team, stating that Iran had delivered the audio file to the Ukrainian expert team to complete its investigation.

In the aforementioned audio file, the pilot of Aseman Airlines tells the airport control tower in Persian that the lights seen were caused by a missile hitting the Ukrainian plane. The control tower expresses ignorance of this news and asks: "How many missiles? Where?"

The pilot reports seeing a large explosion. After that, the control tower attempts to contact the pilot of Ukraine International Flight 752, but to no avail.

Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Ukrainian "1+1" television channel, "This audio file actually shows that the Iranian side was involved in the downing of our plane by a missile from the very beginning and was aware of it from the moment the missile was fired."

The Ukrainian president has once again demanded the return of the black boxes from the crashed passenger plane. The Associated Press continued its report by mentioning Iran's displeasure over the release of the audio file.

Hassan Rezaeifar has said that the release of this audio file by Ukraine will cause Iran to not provide any other documents or evidence to the Ukrainian expert team. The Islamic Republic has called the release of this audio file “unprofessional” and the file itself a “confidential document.”

Source: DW