TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said on Saturday that its armed forces had "unintentionally" shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 passengers and crew on board. The Iranian armed forces were first to acknowledge the error, saying the Boeing 737 had been mistaken for a "hostile target" at a time when enemy threats were at the highest level. The armed forces said it had opened an investigation into what it called the "heartbreaking incident" after the Ukraine International Airlines plane (UIA) was brought down on Wednesday. It also said the armed forces would immediately present the "culprit" to the judiciary. Finally, it said "relevant officials from the Revolutionary Guards should, as soon as possible, give detailed explanations to the honourable people in the national media".

Source: Philippine Star January 11, 2020 09:00 UTC