According to the Iranian national news agency, Khamenei himself ordered the publication of the truth, four days after the tragedy that claimed 176 lives. This Saturday morning, the staff of the Iranian armed forces therefore issued a press release confirming what many intelligence agencies around the world suspected: it was indeed an Iranian missile, fired by mistake, that hit the Boeing of Ukraine International Airlines Wednesday.
Even a few hours earlier, however, the head of the civil aviation organization categorically denied this hypothesis. But the army indicates to have carried out in parallel an “independent” investigation, concluding with “human error”. The "culprit" will have to answer to justice and his hierarchical officials have the order to come and explain himself on national television, we learned in this press release, in which apologies are also addressed to the families of the victims.
Here is the full transcript of this press release, translated from Persian by Agence France-Presse
"To the noble and revolutionary nation of Islamic Iran:
Following the heartbreaking accident of the fall of a Ukrainian (International) Airlines Boeing commercial plane in the early hours of Wednesday (January 8, 202) and in the middle of an (Iranian) missile attack on the base of criminal America and (given) the possibility that this air crash was caused by military action, the Armed Staff immediately investigated by creating a commission of inquiry made up of technical experts and specialists [military] operations, independent of that of the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization. The results of this meticulous investigation carried out tirelessly day and night are made available to the honorable people of Iran below:
1. Following threats by the President and military commanders of criminal America to target a large number of targets in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the event of a possible response (to the elimination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani , killed on January 3 in Baghdad by an American strike, and given the unprecedented increase in (enemy) air traffic in the region, the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have been placed at the highest level alert to respond to possible threats.
2. In the hours following the (Iranian) missile strikes, the flights of combat aircraft of US terrorist forces around the country increased and information was provided to defense units about air targets heading for strategic centers of the country, and several targets have been seen on certain radar screens. All of this caused even greater responsiveness in the air defense centers.
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Iran: video showing Ukrainian Boeing hit by missile
3. In this delicate crisis situation, flight 752 from Ukraine (International) Airlines took off from (international) Imam Khomeiny airport (from Tehran), and at the time of turning, found itself entirely in the position of move closer to a sensitive military center of the Corps (Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, the Iranian ideological army, ndt) at an altitude giving it the appearance of a hostile target. Under these conditions, and following a human error and unintentionally, the plane was hit and this unfortunately resulted in the martyrdom of many of our compatriots and the loss of life of non-Iranian nationals. 4. While expressing its condolences and empathy for the grieving families, those of our compatriots and those of foreign victims, and apologizing for this human error, the General Staff of the Armed Forces ensures that by continuing fundamental reforms in operational processes at the level of the armed forces, it will make it impossible to repeat such errors. In addition (the staff) will immediately present the culprit to the judicial organization of the armed forces so that legal action can be taken in relation to the faults committed. 5. The relevant officials of the Corps (Guardians) have also been sent a notification to appear on national television as soon as possible to give detailed explanations to the honorable people. "
