With 57 nationals out of the 176 passengers who died in the crash of the Boeing shot down in mid-flight on Wednesday, Canada was struck to the heart by this tragedy that occurred near Tehran, in the Iranian sky. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau logically announced that he had asked Iranian President Hassan Rohani to "shed light" on the catastrophe of the Ukrainian plane mistakenly shot down by an Iranian missile and to "assume full responsibility for it", during of a phone call this Saturday. A team of Canadian investigators must also go on site.
"This morning I spoke to Iranian President Rohani and told him that the confession from Iran," who admitted responsibility, "was an important step towards providing answers to the families, but I stressed that other measures must be taken, "said Justin Trudeau. "We need to shed light on the reasons that caused such a horrible tragedy," he said. He said he was "scandalized and furious" and felt that "it should never have happened, even in a period of heightened tension. "
At least three visas approved by Iran
In this tense context, the Prime Minister recently reappointed head of the government of the maple leaf country announced that a team of Canadian investigators was expected in Tehran within a few hours to "establish a presence on the ground to support Canadian families. "
"Currently three visas have been approved for members of the rapid deployment team," which are expected to arrive at around 4:00 pm (local time, 9:00 pm GMT) today, he said. "Other members of the team will follow" and "the Iranians are currently cooperating in the issuance of visas," he said.
"American Adventurism"
In a dramatic flip-flop, Iran apologized on Saturday for having shot down the Boeing 737 by "mistake" when it had previously categorically denied the thesis, favored by several countries, including Canada, that the Ukrainian plane is said to have been hit by a missile. Tehran, however, pointed out the responsibility for "American adventurism" in this drama. An allusion to the tension caused by the January 3 elimination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in a drone fire in Baghdad, following a decision by President Donald Trump.
Iran had, in retaliation, launched missiles on bases on Wednesday sheltering American soldiers in Iraq, shortly before shooting down "by mistake" the Ukrainian civil plane near Tehran.
Iran overflight to be avoided "until further notice"
The European Aviation Safety Agency on Saturday recommended European airlines to avoid flying over Iran "until further notice", following the crash of a Ukrainian Boeing mistakenly shot down, which killed 176 people Wednesday near Tehran.
"Based on all available information, the recommendation under current security conditions is that overflying Iran at any altitude should be avoided until further notice, as a precaution," said the European agency. (EASA) in a press release. The agency said the instructions for neighboring Iraq had not changed and was to avoid overflight.