Iran’s foreign minister blamed “US adventurism” for causing the Iranian military to shoot down a Ukrainian passenger plane with 176 people on board, Business Insider reports, citing his recently shared tweet.
Javad Zarif wrote on his microblog that the United States created the conditions in which Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps accidentally launched a missile at Ukrainian Airlines flight 752.
The jet was shot down, leaving no survivors, not long after Iran launched a missile bombardment at Iraqi military bases housing Iraqi, US, and coalition troops. The strike caused no casualties.
It was a response to US President Donald Trump ordering the assassination by drone strike of General Qassem Soleimani, who was the most prominent and revered commander of Iran’s military.
Iranian officials initially blamed the crash on mechanical error aboard the plane, which was operated by Ukrainian International Airlines and was on its way to Kiev