The tragedy of Ukraine Airlines flight PS752 appears to have been a result of mistaken identity. It was a Boeing 737, and it took off from Tehran, Iran, on January 8, with 176 people on board. Within minutes, it crashed, leaving no survivors. Initially, it was suspected to have been due to some technical issues, but Iran has now confirmed it was a case of mistaken identity. The timing mattered because Iran fired the missiles to down the aircraft a few hours after conducting a ballistic missile strike on a US military base in Iraq. That was in retaliation of the drone attack on its prominent military commander Qassem Soleimani that killed him.

It seems those operating Iran’s radar setup mistook the Boeing, flying near a sensitive zone, to be an American aggressor and shot it down.

Al Jazeera says Iran explained it to be the outcome of heightened tensions with the United States, which was a matter of concern. Civil aviation authorities said - "Investigators ... discovered that two Tor-M1 missiles... were fired at the aircraft." They have added that the incident is under investigation. The tragedy left no survivors, and confirmation by Iran lends credence to a report in a section of the media on the subject. It had made a mention of video footage that could be of two projectiles being fired at aircraft.

It was a 'disastrous mistake' admits Iran

The Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 took off from Tehran and was bound for Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It was a Boeing 737 aircraft and had 176 people on board. It was a mix of different nationalities, and 57 of them were from Canada, which wants Iran to hand over the black boxes for analysis.

However, Iran appears to be reluctant to part with them. It says the boxes are of an advanced type, and it does not have facilities to analyze the data. Iran wants help from France and the United States to provide information on equipment required to read the black boxes. It says it is awaiting their response. Incidentally, US President Donald Trump had threatened to retaliate if Iran unleashed attacks on US citizens or assets because of the death of Soleimani.

However, it did not reach that stage since there were no casualties from Iran’s attack.

Al Jazeera goes on to add that an official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) accepted full responsibility. The explanation is that the operator had acted independently. Initially, Iran was in a total denial mode, but finally, on January 11, it admitted that it was a "disastrous mistake." It fired two Tor-M1 short-range surface-to-air missiles of Soviet Union origin. The purpose of these missiles is to target aircraft or cruise missiles.

Iran fired missiles to down the Boeing 737

According to Daily Mail UK, authorities in Iran have admitted it fired two missiles to bring down the Ukrainian airliner that was on its way to Kyiv.

Iran has justified it by saying it was what appeared to be an error of judgment on the part of an operator, and they are investigating. There is international pressure on the country to carry out a full and transparent investigation into the air disaster that took 176 innocent lives.

Iran was on edge after the death of Soleimani

The sudden drone strike in Baghdad airport that killed Qassem Soleimani took the country by surprise. Iran reacted by a missile strike on a US base in Iraq and was ready for more action from the Americans. Obviously, it was on edge and alerted its people to be ready. The result was the death of innocent travelers who never knew what struck them. World leaders should realize the importance of maintaining peace and not resorting to provocative actions or words. This tragedy of Ukraine International Airlines should be an eye-opener.
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