Iran admitted shooting down a Ukrainian passenger jet with 176 people on board, which it says was the result of human error.
In a statement by military officials early Saturday, Iran admitted hitting Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752 with a missile earlier this week.
It said that the plane flew close to a sensitive military site and was mistaken for a threat.
"In such a condition, because of human error and in a unintentional way, the flight was hit," the Iranian statement said.
The shoot-down came hours after Iran launched a missile attack on US troops stationed in Iraq, while the military was on high alert.
That strike, which failed to kill any US troops, was itself retaliation for the death of Iran's most prominent military commander, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump.
Iran initially denied responsibility for the plane crash, which it sought to blame on a mechanical problem with the jet, a Boeing 737-800.
It made the admission two days after the US, Canadian, and British governments blamed the crash on an Iranian missile, citing their intelligence agencies.
Not long after Iran admitted shooting down the plane, its foreign minister sought to also blame the US.
In a tweet, Javad Zarif described the cause as "human error at a time of crisis caused by US adventurism."
—Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 11, 2020
The president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, described the shoot-down in a tweeted statement as a "great tragedy" and am "unforgivable mistake."
He said that those involved would be prosecuted by the Iranian authorities.
- Read more:
- How the crash of Ukrainian Flight 752 unfolded, from the plunge that killed 176 people, to allegations it was shot down by an Iranian missile
- The Ukrainian flight that crashed in Iran was 'highly likely' shot down by a missile, according to reported US intelligence
- US intelligence reportedly indicates that Iran accidentally shot down the Ukrainian Airlines plane and then realized its mistake
