Iran Vows Appropriate Response to US Interception of Mahan Air Flight

In a statement on Friday, Mousavi said the dangerous move, for which the CENTCOM terrorist organization’s spokesperson claimed responsibility, is a violation of international aviation law and a disruption of regional peace and security.

Mousavi described as ridiculous the CENTCOM spokesperson’s claim that the American warplanes were conducting a “standard visual inspection” of the Mahan Air passenger plane at a safe distance during their “routine air mission” near Syria’s al-Tanf airbase, and said the move comprised a series of violations.

“Both the presence of US troops in Syria and the air missions of their warplanes were illegal. More importantly, no one has allowed the United States to inspect passenger planes in the sky using its military fighters,” he noted.

Mousavi said “such an act is illegal, dangerous, and an instance of playing with the lives of innocent people, especially because, contrary to the claims made, the safe distance has not been observed at all.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will pursue the US act by referring to international legal bodies, especially the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and will not allow the United States to mock all international laws with such bullying behaviours.”
Mousavi at the same time warned the US or Israeli regime against any new adventure in the region, saying that the stability and security of the West Asia region should not be used as a plaything for US elections.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not leave unanswered any hostile move against the Iranian nation, and will show decisive and appropriate reactions to any unwise move,” he added.