West blames Iran missile for plane crash as new video emerges
Western leaders believe it is highly likely that a missile is to blame for the crash of a passenger jet over Iran that led to the death of all 176 people on board.
Officials from the UK, USA, Canada and Australia have all agreed it is likely an Iranian missile was the cause of the Ukraine International Airlines plane crashing just minutes after taking off from Tehran, the capital of Iran.
There were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians and four Britons among the dead.
Read more: World leaders blame Iran for shooting down plane
New footage has emerged that appears to show the plane being hit by a missile coming from the opposite direction in the region of Tehran, shortly after taking off.
The authenticity of the video has been verified by investigative journalism website Bellingcat.
Leaders believe it may have been hit by mistake as it happened just hours after Iran had launched ballistic missiles at two US bases in Iraq.
Iran had been retaliating to a US airstrike that killed the country’s top general, Qassem Soleimani.
Speaking at a press conference, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies and our own intelligence.
“The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. This may well have been unintentional.”
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison all issued similar statements.
Photos have also emerged of the remains of a Russian missile, although its authenticity has not yet been confirmed as the angle of the photos mean the location cannot be definitively determined.
UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab called for a “full and transparent investigation” into what caused the crash.
While the foreign office has warned all Britons against travel to Iran.
It said: “Tension between Iran and other countries could escalate rapidly” and “anger inside Iran is high” following the killing of Maj Gen Soleimani.
“There is a possibility of an increased threat against Western interests and the security situation could worsen with little warning.”
Iran continues to deny it had anything to do with the plane crashing.
Iran’s civil aviation chief said on Friday he was “certain” that the plane was not hit by a missile.
Read more: Ukranian jet shot down by Iranian anti-aircraft missile, says reports
Speaking at a news conference, Ali Abedzadeh repeated his view that a missile was not the cause of the crash.
“The thing that is clear to us and that we can say with certainty is that this plane was not hit by a missile,” he told reporters.
“As I said last night, this plane for more than one and a half minutes was on fire and was in the air, and the location shows that the pilot was attempting to return.”