Iran said on Wednesday it would pay $ 150,000 to the families of the 176 victims of a Ukrainian passenger plane that was shot down by Iranian forces near Tehran in January.
The announcement by the official IRNA news agency comes just over a week before the anniversary of the January 8 accident. Diplomats from nations that have lost citizens have been lobbying Iran for more cooperation on investigative and compensation issues. Iran has not specified a timetable for the $ 150,000 compensation.
ARCHIVE: Debris spills over the scene when a Ukrainian plane crashed in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran.
(AP)
Iran initially denied having shot down the plane, but later admitted – after reports from Western intelligence and increased international pressure – that its military had mistakenly fired at the Ukrainian plane.
The plane crashed when tensions between Iran and the United States peaked. Less than a week earlier, an American drone attack killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, raising fears of more violence in the region.
Tehran blamed “human error” for the killing, saying in a report released over the summer that the crew of a misaligned surface-to-air missile battery mistakenly identified the civilian flight as a threat and opened fire twice without obtaining the approval of senior officers.
Canadian authorities claim that Iran has not released all relevant evidence or provided satisfactory answers to a series of persistent questions, including the identities of those responsible for the fall, the exact chain of events that led the Revolutionary Guard to open fire and the decision to leave Iranian airspace open to civilian traffic the same night that Iran launched a flurry of ballistic missiles against American forces in Iraq.
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The plane, a Boeing 737 operated by Ukraine International Airlines to Kiev, was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from various countries, including 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians, 17 Swedes, 11 Ukrainians, four Afghans and four British citizens, according to officials.
The governments of the five affected countries have been demanding for months that Tehran accepts “full responsibility” for the accident and compensates the victims’ families in accordance with international agreements.
ARCHIVE: Julia Sologub’s partner, a crew member of the Ukrainian 737-800 plane that crashed outside Tehran, reacts by holding a portrait of her at a memorial inside the Borispil International Airport in Kiev, Ukraine.
(AP)
Iran, for its part, sent mixed messages on the issue of compensation, with the head of the country’s main insurance agency saying in October that Iran would refuse to pay premiums because the jet was “insured by European companies”. Meanwhile, other Iranian officials have promised to negotiate compensation with the five countries.
“A mistake was made by us, but the basis for compensation must be decided,” said Mohsen Baharvand, deputy foreign minister, in September. “We told our Ukrainian colleagues that international regulations are our foundation.”
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The association representing the victims’ families issued a statement last week criticizing Iran’s offer of compensation and demanding an independent and transparent investigation into the accident.
“The families are vigilant and will not sign any documents,” says the statement. “The killer cannot play the role of mourner.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.