After a Ukrainian passenger plane crashed in Iran on the 8th, the cause of the accident sparked speculation. On the 9th local time, US President Trump expressed his "doubt" on the matter, and there were news that the crashed passenger plane was shot down by Iranian missiles. On the same day, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and British Prime Minister Johnson both claimed that the Ukrainian passenger plane was shot down by Iranian missiles, but they both said that it might be unintentional.
Prior to this, many foreign media had already pointed their finger at Iran, saying that the crashed plane was accidentally shot down by Iran's air defense missiles. In response, Iranian officials said on January 9 local time that the United States would join an investigation into the crash of a Ukrainian airliner. The Iranian side directly denied that the passenger plane crash was related to Iran's missile launches at US bases in Iraq. And the Iranian media believe that U.S. intelligence is a conspiracy created by Iran's enemies.
The crash site. Source: Reuters
The crash site. Source: Reuters
U.S. media says Ukraine crashed with Iranian plane down, Trump also stated: I have my doubts
Agence France-Presse reported on the 10th that U.S. President Trump said on the 9th local time that he had his "doubt" in the crash of a Ukrainian airliner. Earlier, US media claimed that the crashed passenger plane was Iranian missile shot down.
"I have my suspicions that this plane is flying in a very harsh environment and someone may have made a mistake," Trump said.
"Some people say it's mechanical, and I personally think it's not even a problem." Trump said, "something terrible happened."
Screenshots from AFP report
Screenshots from AFP report
AFP reported that just as Trump made the remarks, both US Newsweek and CBS reported that the crashed plane was accidentally shot down by Iran's air defense missiles.
Screenshot from U.S. Newsweek report
Screenshot from U.S. Newsweek report
Newsweek quoted Pentagon sources, senior U.S. intelligence officials and Iraqi intelligence officials as saying that a Ukrainian passenger plane that had crashed outside the Iranian capital Tehran was hit by anti-aircraft missiles.
A Pentagon official and a senior U.S. intelligence official told Newsweek that the Pentagon's assessment concluded that this was an accident. According to sources, Iran's missile defense system is on standby after an attack on a US military base in Iraq.