Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, January 11, 2020—The mullahs’ regime ruling Iran has been forced to acknowledge the fact that the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was targeted by its military units, killing all 176 passengers and crew. This delayed development follows a wave of protests and revelations by Iranians inside the country, and intelligence being unveiled by the United States and confirmations by various other countries.
“… reports indicate that the airplane might have been targeted by the regime’s anti-aircraft units. Videos obtained from the scene show the airplane suddenly catching fire before the crash, which might be an indication of a targeted explosion.”#Iranhttps://t.co/80VUiZ0lNY
— People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) 8 January 2020
The Iranian regime’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff is providing ridiculous reasoning and unacceptable excuses, claiming the plane turned and headed towards a base of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). They provided a very hollow apology and pledged to introduce and hold those responsible to account.
Tehran’s actual objective is to save Iranian regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior IRGC officials who ordered the downing of this civilian airliner from any accountability. “Iran’s Supreme Leader was informed about the accidental shooting down of the Ukrainian airliner on Friday and said information should be publicly announced after a meeting of Iran’s top security body,” according to the IRGC Fars news agency.
And in an unprecedented turn of events, IRGC Aerospace chief Amir Ali Hajizadeh held a press conference on Saturday saying the IRGC accepts full responsibility for the downing of the of the Ukrainian passenger airline. “We had requested the establishment of a no-fly zone given the war situation. But it was not approved for certain considerations,” he said in a desperate attempt to save face.
“The air defense operator had been told a cruise missile has been fired. He has mistaken the passenger plane with a cruise missile, and after his message to his commanders was not answered probably over jammed communications, he shot the plane,” Hajizadeh added. His use of words, “probably over jammed communications,” is quite interesting and further shows the regime’s collective effort to safeguard Khamenei out of this crisis.
“We had reports of cruise missiles fired at Iran.”
It was an individual’s error that caused this tragedy,” Hajizdeh said, adding “jammed communications” was to blame for the lack of adequate communication at the time of this incident.
It is crystal clear that across the globe all civilian flights are immediately cancelled during war and dangerous circumstances, especially when military units are placed on high alert. Just hours prior to the downing of this Ukrainian plane, Iran’s regime had launched over a dozen ballistic missiles from Kermanshah, western Iran, into Iraq targeting military bases where U.S. troops are stationed.
Iranian opposition President Maryam Rajavi, head of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said this is yet another grave crime that the Iranian people will never forget. The mullahs’ regime, according to its foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, informed the Iraqi government and military, and through them the United States, prior to the missile strike targeting military bases inside Iraq where U.S. forces are stationed. However, Tehran refrained from any warning or necessary orders to cancel all passenger flights.
“The regime had given advance warning about its missile attack on American bases to the Iraqi government & its military & through them to the US. But did not issue any advance notice to our compatriots & did not cancel passenger flights,” Madam Rajavi said.
The regime had given advance warning about its missile attack on American bases to the Iraqi government & its military & through them to the US. But did not issue any advance notice to our compatriots & did not cancel passenger flights #Iran
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) 11 January 2020
