Harassment of Iranian Airliner Shows US Weakness: Tehran

A senior Iranian official says the harassment of an Iranian passenger plane by US warplanes in the Syrian airspace was an “unwise” move which shows Washington’s weakness and desperation.

“These unwise and very cheap moves by a country which claims to be a superpower shows the intensity of its weakness and desperation against the Iranian nation,” Chief of Staff of the President’s Office Mahmoud Vaezi said on Thursday.

“They (the US) were trying to create panic among Iranian people and make us show security reaction, but the Iranian nation and government prudently made the US fail to achieve its objectives,” he said.

“Relevant authorities of our country are pursuing appropriate legal and political measures at international circles against this dangerous move,” he added.

On Thursday, two US F-15 warplanes conducted a dangerous maneuvering close to Mahan Air’s Flight 1152 that had taken off from Tehran and was heading to Beirut.

The incident took place over Syria’s al-Tanf region, where the US maintains an illegal military presence.

The airliner’s pilot was forced to swiftly lower the altitude to avoid a collision with the American jets.

The sudden swerve led to the injuries of some of the passengers and left them panicked. The flight, however, landed safely in the Lebanese capital and those wounded were taken to hospital.

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