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Sabtu, 11 Januari 2020

Iran admits to shooting down plane unintentionally: Live updates - CNN International

The black box recordings of the downed Ukrainian airliner will be downloaded in France, the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization’s Accident Investigation board said on Saturday, according to state media.

Although Iran made use of all its facilities to examine the content of the black box inside the country, the content will be sent to France so that any possible damage to the data would be avoided, Hassan Rezaeifar told state news agency IRNA.

Rezaeifar said Iran asked Canada, France and the US to bring their software and hardware equipment to Tehran to download the data of the black box of the Ukrainian plane, but they did not accept Iran's proposal, according to IRNA.

Then, Iran asked Ukraine, Sweden, Britain, Canada, and the US to send the black box to an impartial laboratory -- and France was the only one all five countries agreed on, he said.

The decision to send the black box over to France was made before Saturday’s statement from the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, which admitted to downing the Ukrainian airliner, according to IRNA.

No details were provided as to when Iran will send the black box over.

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2020-01-11 10:53:00Z
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Iran Says Downing of Plane Was a ‘Disastrous Mistake’: Live Updates - The New York Times

Here’s what you need to know:

Video player loading — The New York Times has obtained and verified video showing the moment a Ukrainian airliner was hit in Iran.CreditCredit...Screenshot from video

Iran says it accidentally shot down Flight 752.

After maintaining for days that there was no evidence that one of its missiles had struck a Boeing 737-800 minutes after it took off from Tehran on Wednesday with 176 people on board, Iran admitted early on Saturday that its military had accidentally shot down the passenger jet.

The military blamed human error. In a statement, it said the plane had taken a sharp, unexpected turn that brought it near a sensitive military base.

In post on Twitter, Iran’s foreign minister, Mohamad Javad Zarif, apologized but appeared to blame American “adventurism” for the tragedy, writing: “Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster.”

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had been informed about the accidental shooting down, said information should be publicly announced after a meeting of Iran’s top security body, the semiofficial Fars news agency said on Twitter.

President Hassan Rouhani said on Twitter that Iran “deeply regrets this disastrous mistake.”

In a statement cited by the semiofficial Fars News Agency, the president offered condolences to the victims’ families and said that “the terrible catastrophe should be thoroughly investigated.” He added that those responsible for “this unforgivable mistake” would be identified and “prosecuted.”

But he also said that in an environment of military threats and terror by the United States’ “aggressive” government against the people of Iran, and facing the possibility of American military strikes on Iran, the armed forces made a “human mistake and misfired” and “it led to a big catastrophe and innocent people were killed.”

“This painful incident is not something we can easily overcome,” he added, saying that was imperative to is correct any shortcomings in the country’s defense mechanism and ensure such a tragedy would not happen again.

Ukraine’s president wants ‘a full admission of guilt.’

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, in his first reaction to Iran’s announcement, said Kyiv would “insist on a full admission of guilt” by Tehran.

“We expect Iran to assure its readiness for a full and open investigation, to bring those responsible to justice, to return the bodies of the victims, to pay compensation, and to make official apologies through diplomatic channels,” Mr. Zelensky said in a post on his Facebook page. “We hope that the investigation will continue without artificial delays and obstacles.”

Mr. Zelensky had come under domestic criticism this week for refusing to publicly blame Iran for the disaster even as the United States, Canada and Britain did. Instead, he dispatched a team of specialists to Tehran who sought to work alongside Iranians in studying the crash site. He implored the public to avoid speculating about the cause of the disaster.

Iran’s announcement on Saturday vindicated Mr. Zelensky’s cautious approach, said Ivan Yakovina, a columnist for the Kyiv-based magazine Novoye Vremya. “If there had been threats from Ukraine, then I believe Iran wouldn’t have allowed the specialists to do their jobs and generally would have refused to admit guilt,” he said.

Iranians reacted with anger and sorrow.

Iranians expressed fury toward their government in the first hours after Tehran’s admission, even as many planned to gather in main squares around town with candles at 5 p.m. Saturday local time.

Conservatives and supporters of the government accused the authorities of intentionally misleading the public initially about what had brought down the plane, whose passengers included many young Iranians on their way to Canada for graduate study.

The semiofficial Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, posted a harsh commentary condemning Iran’s leaders, saying “their shortcomings have made this tragedy twice as bitter.”

“It is pivotal that those who were hiding the truth from the public for the past 72 hours be held accountable, we cannot let this go,” it read.

“Individuals, media, political and military officials who commented in the past 72 hours must be investigated. If they knew of the truth and were deliberately speaking falsehood or for any reason were trying to hide it, they must be prosecuted, no matter what post they hold.”

Flights In and Out of Tehran Continued After Missile Strikes and Plane Crash

Planes took off after Iran’s missile strikes on bases in Iraq, and even after a Ukrainian plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

Siamak Ghaesmi, a Tehran-based economist, addressed the country’s leaders in an Instagram post: “I don’t know what to do with my rage and grief. I’m thinking of all the ‘human errors’ in these years that were never revealed because there was no international pressure.

I’m thinking of the little trust left that was shattered. I’m thinking of the innocent lives lost because of confronting and being stubborn with the world. What have you done with us?”

Mohamad Saeed Ahadian, a conservative analyst in Iran, said on Twitter, “There are two major problems with the Ukrainian Airlines issue. One is firing at an airplane and two is firing at the public’s trust. The first can be justified but the latter is a mistake with absolutely no justification.”

Some social media posts made use of the term “harsh revenge,” which Iran’s leaders had promised to inflict on the United States for the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a top Revolutionary Guards commander, in a drone strike last week.

Mojtaba Fathi, an Iranian journalist, wrote on Twitter, “They were supposed to take their harsh revenge against America, not the people.”

Mohsen Moghadaszadeh, a cleric from Qom, tweeted: “If there were loved ones of the highest officials on that plane would you have committed a similar mistake? If the answer is yes then your apology is accepted. If no then apology is not enough.”

Western nations had already concluded that Tehran was to blame.

International pressure had been building on Iran to take responsibility. American and allied officials had said that all intelligence assessments indicated that surface-to-air missiles fired by Iranian military forces had shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.

Hours after the crash, Ukraine International Airlines officials had consistently ruled out pilot error or mechanical problems as the cause of the crash. They had said the Boeing 737-800, which was less than four years old, was helmed by some of the airline’s most experienced crew.

“We never thought for a second that our crew and our plane could have been the reason for this terrible, horrific aviation catastrophe,” the airline’s president, Yevhenii Dykhne, said in a Facebook post on Saturday after Iran’s admission. “These were our best young men and women. The best.”

There was no immediate reaction from the United States to Iran’s admission, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been the first American official to publicly confirm the intelligence assessments.

“We do believe that it’s likely that the plane was shot down by an Iranian missile,” Mr. Pompeo said at a briefing at the White House announcing new sanctions against Iran on Friday.

The crash occurred days after the American drone strike that killed General Suleimani and an Iraqi militia leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, as they left the airport in Baghdad. The general’s killing sent shock waves through the Middle East and led to calls for revenge in Iran, as well as a vote by Iraq’s Parliament to oust American troops from that country.

Iran responded to the drone strike by firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at two American bases in Iraq. But the missiles caused little damage and no American or Iraqi casualties, President Trump and Iraqi officials said.

Trudeau calls for ‘closure’ and ‘accountability.’

President Justin Trudeau of Canada, who has said his country expects to play a big role in Iran’s investigation of the airliner crash that killed 63 Canadians even though the two nations do not have diplomatic ties, said on Saturday that “closure, accountability” were needed after Iran’s admission, according to local news reports.

The 176 people who died on the flight included 57 Canadians, many of them students or faculty at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. About 27 residents of Edmonton were on the plane.

In Canada, Iranians are comparative newcomers: Most arrived after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Today, by some counts, Canada has the third-largest number of expatriate Iranians in the world and its universities are a top destination for Iranian graduate students.

Canada broke off diplomatic relations with Iran in 2012, but Mr. Trudeau said on Wednesday that Canada’s foreign minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, would contact his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to underline the need for a proper inquiry.

“Canada is one of a handful of countries with a high degree of expertise when it comes to these sorts of accidents and therefore we have much to contribute,” Mr. Trudeau said at a news conference in Ottawa.

“I am confident that in our engagement both through our allies and directly, we are going to make sure that we are a substantive contributor to this investigation.”

Reporting was contributed by Farnaz Fassihi, Anton Troianovski, Ian Austen and Andrew Kramer.

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2020-01-11 09:31:00Z
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Iran Says Downing of Plane Was ‘Disastrous Mistake’: Live Updates - The New York Times

Here’s what you need to know:

Iran says it accidentally shot down Flight 752.

The military blamed human error. In a statement, it said the plane had taken a sharp, unexpected turn that brought it near a sensitive military base.

President Hassan Rouhani said on Twitter that Iran “deeply regrets this disastrous mistake.”

Ukraine’s president wants ‘a full admission of guilt.’

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, in his first reaction to Iran’s announcement, said Kyiv would “insist on a full admission of guilt” by Tehran.

Iranians reacted with anger and sorrow toward their government.

Iranians expressed fury in the first hours after the admission. Even conservatives and supporters of the government accused the authorities of having intentionally misled the public about what had brought down the plane, whose passengers included many young Iranians on their way to Canada for graduate study.

“It is pivotal that those who were hiding the truth from the public for the past 72 hours be held accountable, we cannot let this go,” it read.

Flights In and Out of Tehran Continued After Missile Strikes and Plane Crash

Planes took off after Iran’s missile strikes on bases in Iraq, and even after a Ukrainian plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

“I’m thinking of the little trust left that was shattered. I’m thinking of the innocent lives lost because of confronting and being stubborn with the world. What have you done with us?”

Mojtaba Fathi, an Iranian journalist, wrote on Twitter, “They were supposed to take their harsh revenge against America, not the people.”

Western nations had already concluded that Tehran was to blame.

There was no immediate reaction from the United States to Iran’s admission, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been the first American official to publicly confirm the intelligence assessments.

“We do believe that it’s likely that the plane was shot down by an Iranian missile,” Mr. Pompeo said at a briefing at the White House announcing new sanctions against Iran on Friday. “We’re going to let the investigation play out before we make a final determination. It’s important that we get to the bottom of it.”

Farnaz Fassihi, Anton Troianovski and Andrew Kramer contributed reporting.

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Iran says Ukrainian passenger plane was shot down unintentionally in fear of US aggression - CNN

In a statement, the nation's armed forces said it targeted the passenger plane unintentionally. It attributed the crash to radar activity and fear of US action.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake. My thoughts and prayers go to all the mourning families," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said.

Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 crashed Wednesday after takeoff from Tehran's airport. The crash came hours after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi military bases housing US troops in retaliation for a drone strike at Baghdad airport that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.

After the missile operation in Iraq, US military flights around Iranian borders increased and Iranian military officials reported seeing aerial targets coming toward strategic centers, according to a statement by Iranian armed forces headquarters.

"The aircraft came close to a sensitive IRGC military center at an altitude and flight condition that resembled hostile targeting. Under these circumstances, the aircraft was unintentionally hit, which unfortunately resulted in death of the many Iranian and foreign nationals," the statement reads.

The victims include 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British nationals.

"Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted.

People stand near the wreckage after a Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers crashed near Imam Khomeini airport.

Those responsible will be prosecuted

Following Iran's announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Iran to provide a "full admission of guilt," in a statement posted on his official Facebook page.

"We expect that Iran assures its readiness to have a full and open investigation, bring those responsible to justice, return of the bodies of the deceased, pay compensations, issues official apologies through diplomatic channels," the statement said.

Rouhani said in a statement released by his office Saturday that those responsible for taking down the plane will be prosecuted.

"Further investigation is needed to identify all the causes and roots of this tragedy and prosecute the perpetrators of this unforgivable mistake and inform the honorable people of Iran and the families of the victims about it," Rouhani said.

"It is also necessary to adopt the required arrangements and measures to address the weaknesses of the country's defense systems to make sure such a disaster is never repeated," he added.

Iran concedes the 'big lie' is true

Iran had previously denied US claims that the country had struck down the plane accidentally.

A US official familiar with the intelligence said the aircraft was downed by two Russian-made SA-15 surface-to-air missiles. The US saw Iranian radar signals lock onto the jetliner before it was shot down.

"No one will assume responsibility for such a big lie once it is known that the claim had been fraudulent," government spokesman Ali Rabiei said in a statement earlier Friday, according to state-run Press TV.

Iranian authorities are in possession of the two flight data recorders, also known as black boxes, which Ukrainian investigators got access to Friday. They have yet to start examining the information, but have said it included communications between the pilot and Tehran flight control.

Photos of crash site of Ukrainian plane.

Death of general escalates tension

Tensions between the US and Iran escalated last week after US President Donald Trump ordered a precision strike that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.

Soleimani was plotting "imminent and sinister attacks" on Americans, Trump said, adding that the action was taken to stop a war.

The Pentagon blamed Soleimani and his Quds Force for attacks on coalition bases in Iraq in recent months, including the December 27 strike that killed an American contractor and Iraqi personnel. He was also blamed for the US Embassy attack in Baghdad on December 31. The Pentagon said in addition to the hundreds killed in his time as a commander, thousands more were wounded.

Tensions between the US and Iran have complicated the investigation. US government investigators, for example, cannot fly into Tehran and meet with government officials without a license. That prohibition is due to longstanding sanctions rather than the most recent events, according to two US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Friday that Trump was authorizing yet more sanctions on Iran.

CNN's Nicole Gaouette, Hamdi Alkhshali, Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr, Nicole Gaouette, Hamdi Alkhshali, Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr, Eliza Mackintosh, Jonny Hallam and Radina Gigova contributed to this report.

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2020-01-11 07:43:00Z
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Jumat, 10 Januari 2020

Iran's UN ambassador says missile strikes weren't intended to kill Americans - CNN

Vice President Mike Pence has said the administration believes the strikes "were intended to kill Americans," though some administration officials have suggested to CNN that although Iran could have directed their missiles to hit areas that were populated by Americans, they intentionally did not. There were no US casualties as a result of the attacks.

"We said before we took our military action that we would choose the timing and the place, and we chose the place where the attack against (Iranian general Qasem) Soleimani was initiated," Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi told CNN's John Berman on "New Day" Friday when asked about Pence's comments. "And we do not consider a high number of casualties as an instrumental element in our calculations."

When pressed as to whether they tried to avoid killing Americans, Ravanchi said that he could not describe exactly what happened.

"I'm not a military man, I cannot tell you exactly what was going on. But what I can tell you is that the target was chosen in order to show that we are capable of hitting the target where the plan to kill Soleimani was organized," he said, adding that "we are not interested, we are not looking after killing Americans within this operation."

Ravanchi also indicated that while the strikes "concluded that phase of our military action against the US forces," Iran would not be ensuring that groups -- such as Hezbollah or Iraqi militias loyal to the country -- will stand down barring further US action.

"We are not responsible for any action that others might take," he said. "It is not our job to say that this gentleman or that gentleman should do this or should not do this."

When pressed on whether Iran would not ask Iraqi militias to refrain from attacking Americans, Ravanchi replied, "It is not our job to ask this group or that group -- we are responsible for whatever action we take."

Last week's US strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani sharply escalated tensions between the two longtime adversaries, culminating in this week's missile attacks on the Iraqi bases. President Donald Trump has since indicated a de-escalation of the crisis, though he has promised a further ratcheting up of economic sanctions against Iran.

CNN's Kylie Atwood, Pamela Brown, Kaitlan Collins, Jim Sciutto, Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr and Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.

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2020-01-10 14:22:00Z
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Iraq asks United States to set up mechanism for troop withdrawal - The Washington Post

Khalid Al Mousily Reuters Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi speaks during a funeral for an Iraqi general, Oct. 23, 2019.

BEIRUT — In a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi asked the United States send a delegation to Iraq to set up a mechanism for U.S. troop withdrawal from the country, a statement from the prime minister's office said Friday.

The request followed a vote by the Iraqi parliament to expel thousands of U.S. troops, a direct consequence of a U.S. drone attackthat killed senior Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and nine companionsin Baghdad a week ago.

The killing set off a string of events in the region. On Tuesday, Iran retaliated for the death of its revered Quds Force commander by launching more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two military bases that house U.S. troops in Iraq. President Trump said the strike caused no American or Iraqi deaths and that new sanctions on Iran will be imposed.

The Iraqi prime minister has repeatedly insisted that U.S. troop withdrawal was the only path toward de-escalation. In the phone call on Thursday, he asked Pompeo “to send representatives to Iraq to put in place a mechanism for implementing the parliament’s decision for the safe withdrawal of forces from Iraq.”

According to a statement, Abdul Mahdi also shared his objections regarding U.S. forces entering Iraq and American aircraft flying in Iraqi airspace without the consent of the Iraqi government.

More than 5,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq under a U.S.-led global coalition set up in 2014 to fight the militant Islamic State group. On Sunday, the 81-country coalition announced it has paused its training activities and is redirecting its resources to ensure the safety of personnel and bases, citing “repeated rocket attacks over the last two months.”

In his phone call with Pompeo, Abdul Mahdi condemned the Iranian missile strikes, saying his country objects to any attack that violates Iraq’s sovereignty and turns the country into a war zone.

The Iraqi prime minister, who announced his resignation in November following anti-government mass protests, is currently working in a caretaker capacity, meaning that the parliamentary vote on Sunday could be interpreted as advisory — a politically significant vote, but not one that is legally binding.

A day after the parliament voted, a U.S. letter further added to the chaos. Sent to the prime minister’s office on Monday by a senior U.S. commander, it said U.S. troops in Iraq were being repositioned and prepared for a possible withdrawal. Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon that the letter was “a mistake,” an unsigned draft that should not have been sent.

On Wednesday, Trump delivered a speech following the Iranian attacks on two military bases in Iraq that house U.S. troops — but he did not mention whether troops would be withdrawing.

“The American people should be extremely grateful and happy no Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime,” Trump said. “We suffered no casualties, all of our soldiers are safe, and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases.”

Despite a rocket attack Wednesday night on Baghdad’s Green Zone, where the U.S. Embassy is located, U.S.-Iranian tensions seemed to have eased somewhat. “Iran seems to be standing down,” Trump said.

He also said he would ask NATO to become “much more involved in the Middle East process.” Following the Iranian attack, NATO began moving troops out of Baghdad’s Green Zone to other locations in Iraq and countries in the region. Germany temporarily moved all its military personnel stationed in non-Kurdish Iraq to Jordan and Kuwait.

Iraqi leaders plead for calm after Iranian missile strikes on U.S. military

Europeans shift troops from Iraq, warn fight against Islamic State is imperiled

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news

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2020-01-10 13:29:00Z
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Iran plane crash: Iranian regime denies shooting down Ukrainian passenger jet today - Live updates - CBS News

0m ago

Pompeo says "we'll have to see" if something "insidious" downed plane

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded Friday morning to Iran's flat denial of intelligence suggesting it mistakenly shot down a civilian passenger jet by accepting that it was "possible it's a mechanical failure."

But Pompeo told Fox News, "we'll have to see if, in fact, it's the case that there was something more insidious than this."

Officials have said U.S. and Canadian intelligence shows a pair of Iranian surface-to-air missiles were fired from the Tehran area early Wednesday morning — just hours after Iran launched about 15 ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops — which likely brought down the Ukrainian International Airlines jet, killing everyone on board.

Updated 29m ago

Video shows apparent missile strike

There were mounting indications Friday morning that Iran shot down the civilian passenger jet in its own airspace, killing many of its own citizens early Wednesday morning.

U.S. officials confident two Iranian missiles hit Ukrainian plane

A video obtained by the New York Times appears to show the impact. In it you can see a bright flash, which sources tell CBS News senior foreign correspondent Elizabeth Palmer was likely the explosion of two surface-to-air missiles.

Surveillance cameras picked up a shower of debris from the Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 that crashed just minutes after takeoff from Tehran's main airport, killing 176 people. Watch the video above to see Palmer's full report from Tehran.

Updated 6:52 AM

Iran says black boxes being assessed at "suitable laboratory"

Iran's state-run media said Friday that representatives from the U.S., Canada and France were on their way to the Islamic Republic to join Iranian investigators leading the investigation into the crash of the Ukrainian jet that American officials say Iran likely shot down by mistake. Iran has made clear that its own investigators will lead the probe, and said the black boxes were already being assessed at a lab in Tehran.

Hassan Rezaiefar of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization was quoted by various Iranian outlets as saying the country's investigators and experts from several domestic airlines were assessing the black boxes at a "suitable laboratory at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport" to see if they could reliably analyze the information from them "inside the country."

IRNA said if the Iranians were unable to successfully extract the data, "with the aim of preventing damage to information," they would seek help from Russia, France, Canada or Ukraine.

5:16 AM

Iran accuses U.S. of "spreading lies" about crash

A spokesman and adviser to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has accused the U.S. government of "spreading lies" about the crash of a Ukrainian airliner this week, saying Washington should wait for the results of the ongoing investigation.

Ali Rabiei also offered condolences to the families of the doomed Ukrainian International Airlines plane that came down near Tehran in his statement issued late Thursday, according to Iran's state-run news agency Tasnim.

U.S. officials have told CBS News that intelligence shows an Iranian surface-to-air missile struck the Boeing 737-800 minutes after it took off from Tehran, likely by mistake.

The "Civil Aviation Organization of Islamic Republic of Iran has now set up a committee to probe the incident in accordance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) regulations," Rabai said, insisting that the committee, including experts from all countries involved in the plane crash, would transparently investigate the accident and announce the results.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board confirmed an invite from Iran, but said it was unclear how much of a role it would be able to play given U.S. sanctions on Iran.

4:19 AM

CBS News sees crash site scrubbed of debris

CBS News senior foreign correspondent Elizabeth Palmer was able Friday to briefly view the site in Tehran where the Ukrainian plane crashed two days earlier, before Iranian security officials compelled her team to leave. She said very little debris was left from the early Wednesday morning crash and there were people — not officials but apparent scavengers — poring over the scene looking for pieces to take away.

CBS News senior foreign correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports from the site where a Ukrainian passenger jet crashed down in flames in Tehran, Iran, on January 10, 2020, two days after the crash. CBS

Ukrainian investigators had not yet visited the site as of noon on Friday (3:30 a.m. Eastern).

Witnesses told Palmer they saw a truck and heavy equipment come on Thursday and take away most of the wreckage. Iran has not said where the wreckage was taken.

Palmer and her team said the crash site was large and they were only able to view one part of it, but after they visited the scene a witness told them larger pieces of the jet's fuselage and nose had been removed. The witness said removal of both the wreckage and bodies of the victims began the day of the crash.

See Palmer's full report from Tehran on "CBS This Morning" at 7 a.m. Eastern.

Updated 3:58 AM

Russia calls missile claims "groundless"

Russian lawmakers said Friday that claims of a missile hitting a Ukrainian jetliner over Iran were "groundless" and they accused the West of prematurely assigning blame to Tehran.

Vladimir Dzhabarov, a lawmaker in Russia's upper house of parliament, said Friday that "we need to be cautious with conclusions. Iranians have invited Ukraine to take part in the investigation. Why would they do it if they knew they had shot (the plane) down?"

Leonid Slutsky, a lawmaker with Russia's lower house of parliament, echoed that sentiment and said conclusions about the cause of the crash could be politically motivated.

"Facts and solid evidence are needed, rather than vague references to intelligence findings. So far it has all been groundless," Slutsky said.

- Associated Press

Updated 3:35 AM

Ukrainian leader: "Missile theory" not "confirmed yet"

The Ukrainian president says he is not ruling out the possibility that the plane which crashed earlier this week in Iran had been hit a by a missile.

"The missile theory is not ruled out, but it has not been confirmed yet," Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Facebook post Friday. All 176 people on board the plane bound for Ukraine died.

Zelensky reiterated his call for "all international partners" - the U.S., Britain and Canada in particular - to share data and evidence relevant to the crash.

He also announced plans to discuss the investigation with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday afternoon.

- Associated Press

Updated 45m ago

Iran invites U.S. transportation officials and Boeing to crash site

Iran's Aircraft Accident Investigation Board has invited the National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing to the site of the plane crash.

In a statement, NTSB said it isn't sure if it will accept the offer: "Due to sanctions and restrictions in place affecting participation by the NTSB and other U.S. organizations, the NTSB continues its coordination with the State Department, Treasury Department and Commerce to determine the best course of action as this investigation unfolds."

"Close interagency coordination is of particular importance in this instance given the long-standing sanctions against Iran, which, among other things, prohibit the provision of technical data, lending of technical assistance and travel to Iran," the NTSB said.

Iran's U.N. Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi told CBS News' Pamela Falk on Thursday that his country was "ready to include others in the investigation."

The Iranian envoy told CBS News that his country welcomed "the presence of the nationalities of the countries who were part of the people who were on board. If any country has any information, we would welcome the information to be investigated."

Ravanchi added, "We have also welcomed any input that Boeing, as a company who has made this plane, to put forward and come to us and share with us anything that can facilitate the work of this investigation."

Updated 7:35 PM

Iran denies jet was shot down

Iran disputes Ukrainian jet was shot down

Iranian officials are denying that one of their missiles shot down the passenger jet. A spokesman for the armed forces called the allegations ridiculous and Ali Abedzadeh, the head of the Iranian Civilian Aviation Authority, said it's not scientifically possible.

Within hours of the crash, the aviation authority pointed toward technical failure as the cause and said the plane was on fire as it tried to return to the airport minutes after takeoff. A website affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard called the U.S. intelligence a conspiracy cooked up by Iran's enemies.

Ukrainian investigators arrived at the crash site to participate but they have not yet been given access to the crash site.

The Iranians have said that they will not hand over the plane's black boxes, but will work with the Ukrainians to download and analyze the data. They said if they need extra help, they may approach other countries and specifically mentioned France.

Updated 7:33 PM

Canada officials will visit crash site in Iran

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada announced Thursday that it has been invited by Iran to visit the site of the plane crash. The group said it accepted the invitation and is making travel arrangements.

Updated 7:33 PM

U.S. shares intelligence with "Five Eyes" alliance

The United States has shared intelligence suggesting Iran shot down the Ukranian Airlines plane with the "Five Eyes" alliance. That alliance is comprised of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.

Updated 7:59 PM

Brother of crash victim speaks out: "It's been Hell"

Omidar Salani lost his sister, her husband and his 16-month-old niece in the crash. He told CBS News that it's been "Hell" since the plane went down.

"I hope this never happens to anybody. I [hope] nobody loses a sibling or family members and I hope nobody ever loses three members of their family in one incident and it's — it's very hard to deal with this," he said. "It's very hard to cope with it, especially at the beginning hours. Nothing makes sense, nothing — and there's no answers and there's no way of getting over it."

"She was a really good person, really good," he added.

"Every moment, I say, 'I'm gonna wake up. It's a nightmare and it's over. She's home and I'm going to go knock on her door,'" Salani said.

UKRAINE-IRAN-CANADA-AVIATION-ACCIDENT — Flight staffers place candles in front of a memorial for the victims at the Boryspil airport outside Kiev on January 8, 2020. Getty

Updated 7:33 PM

British PM Boris Johnson: "This may well have been unintentional"

Johnson issued the following statement on Thursday's developments:

The loss of life on Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 is a tragedy and my thoughts are with all of those who lost loved ones. Four British nationals were among those who were killed, and we are providing support to their families at this most terrible time.

There is now a body of information that the flight was shot down by an Iranian Surface to Air Missile. This may well have been unintentional. We are working closely with Canada and our international partners and there now needs to be a full, transparent investigation.

It is vital that there should be an immediate and respectful repatriation of those who've lost their lives to allow their families to grieve properly. The UK continues to call on all sides urgently to de-escalate to reduce tensions in the region.

Updated 7:19 PM

Trudeau: Evidence indicates Iran shot down plane

Trudeau: Evidence indicates plane shot down by Iranian missile

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said intelligence from multiple sources, including Canadian intelligence, indicated that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. "This may well have been unintentional," Trudeau told reporters during a press conference Thursday in Ottawa, the nation's capital.

Of the 176 people killed in the crash, at least 63 were Canadians. Trudeau called for an in-depth investigation into the crash.

The plane was headed for Kiev. Trudeau said he spoke with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky about the crash.

Iranian authorities have said they want to keep the plane's black boxes in Iran but told Zelensky that Ukrainian investigators will have access to them, Trudeau said. Asked about President Trump's comment earlier Thursday that the plane was flying in a "rough neighborhood," Trudeau said he would let Mr. Trump's words stand for themselves.

Updated 7:19 PM

Newly surfaced video appears to show moment of impact

U.S. officials are confident Iran shot down Ukranian plane

Newly surfaced video appears to show the moment of impact as the plane was gaining altitude, CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave reports. The video lines up with flight data that showed a normal takeoff until the plane reached an altitude of about 8,000 feet and suffered a sudden catastrophic event, Van Cleave reports.

Updated 7:19 PM

Trump: "I had my suspicions"

President Trump was asked about the crash during an event at the White House on Thursday morning. "I had my suspicions," the president said. "I don't want to say that because other people have their suspicions also."

"It's a tragic thing when I see that," Mr. Trump said. "It's a tragic thing, but somebody could have made a mistake on the other side."

"It was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood, and somebody could have made a mistake," the president said. "Some people say it was mechanical. I personally don't think that's even a question."

Updated 7:19 PM

U.S. officials confident Iran shot down the jet

U.S. officials are confident Iran shot down a Ukrainian jetliner in the hours after the Iranian missile attack on U.S. targets earlier this week, CBS News has learned. U.S. intelligence picked up signals of a radar being turned on, sources told CBS News.

The sources said U.S. satellites detected two surface-to-air missile launches, which happened shortly before the plane exploded.

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2020-01-10 12:36:00Z
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