The announcement of this financial compensation was criticized by Kiev, which first demanded the conclusions of the accident investigation.
Le Monde avec AFP
Iran will pay “150,000 dollars or the equivalent in euros” to each of the families of the 176 victims of the crash of a Ukrainian airliner, shot down in January over Tehran, the Iranian presidency announced Wednesday, December 30. Iranian armed forces admitted on January 11 that they “mistakenly” shot down the Boeing operating Ukraine International Airlines flight between Tehran and Kiev shortly after take off three days earlier.
The tragedy led to the death of all passengers and crew, mostly Iranians and Canadians, many of them binational.
A Ukrainian delegation visited Tehran in October for further talks on possible financial compensation for the part of Iran. Ukraine’s foreign minister said in July that he hoped to obtain as much financial compensation as possible in order to alleviate “the pain and mourning” of the relatives of the victims.
The announcement of this financial compensation was however criticized by Kiev, which first demanded the conclusions of the investigation. “Establishing the causes of the tragedy and bringing to justice those responsible for it must be an important prerequisite,” responded Ukrainian diplomacy spokesman Oleg Nykolenko. Kiev said it is still waiting for “a draft technical report” on the circumstances of the accident.
Improper setting of a radar
Earlier on Wednesday, the Iranian transport minister and Development Officer Mohammad Eslami said that “the final report” of the crash would “soon” be made available to the public “in Persian and English”. “The owner of the plane, Ukraine, and Boeing were present for the investigation,” he said.
Canada, which has lost 55 nationals and 30 permanent residents in the accident, reaffirmed in October its commitment to “work tirelessly so that the families of the victims can get the answers they deserve.”
On the day of the crash, Iran’s air defenses were on high alert for fear of an American attack. Iran expected a response from Washington after attacking a base used by the US military in Iraq in response to the elimination of General Ghassem Soleimani, architect of Iran’s regional strategy.
The Iranian Civil Aviation Authority has claimed that the improper setting of an anti-aircraft unit radar was the main “human error” at the origin of the disaster. “This compensation does not prevent the prosecution of the criminal aspect of the case before the competent judicial authority”, assured the Iranian presidency on Wednesday.