Iran says ready for talks with countries over crashed Ukrainian plane

The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the tragedy, which saw the Ukraine plane, en route to Kiev while carrying mostly Iranians, crash minutes after takeoff near Tehran, killing all of the 176 passengers and crew on board.

“In the wake of the accident, relevant institutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran announced the main reason behind the incident and [subsequently] fulfilled their duties precisely, transparently and rapidly in accordance with domestic law and international commitments,” the statement said.

The passenger jet was mistakenly shot down by Iranian air defenses amid heightened military tensions between Tehran and Washington, which erupted in the aftermath of the assassination by the US of Iran’s top anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

Firstly, the statement said, Iran prepared a technical report of the accident within the framework of the 1944 Convention Relating to the Regulation of Aerial Navigation in cooperation with officials of the countries involved and those of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

The statement said Iran also set compensation for the families of all victims, without any discrimination.

Iran’s Judiciary has also started a hearing process since late last year to do justice to the victims and their bereaved families, it added.

“Despite the unlawful measures of certain countries, which are seeking to exploit the painful tragedy and the bereaved families’ sufferings for their own political goals, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready for negotiations with any involved country in a bilateral format according to an agreed agenda and based on goodwill, respect for other countries’ sovereignty and governments’ international commitments,” it added.