Dilemma of Ukrainian plane haunts mullah regime in Tehran

Eslam Mohamed

The mullah regime in Tehran is suffering from the consequences of the attack that targeted a Ukrainian airliner a year ago, which the Revolutionary Guard militia has admitted responsibility for, as Canada has reaffirmed its determination to know the circumstances of the crash of the Boeing 737, which was shot down by a missile in Iran.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Transport and Transport Minister Marc Garneau said in a joint statement, “A year ago, on January 8, 2020, the crash of Ukraine Airlines Flight 752 cost the lives of 176 people, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents of Canada, and many other passengers with links to Canada.”

They reassured the families of the victims, “On this date, we meet and cry and affirm our determination to help the families of the victims to obtain the answers they deserve.”

The two ministers expressed their deep solidarity with and support for the afflicted families, stressing that the Canadian government will continue to work with countries that have victims to hold Iran accountable and to seek transparency and justice for the victims of this tragedy and their families.

The families of the victims residing in Iran avoid talking to the media for fear of censorship by the authorities in their country, while other families abroad have renewed their refusal of the financial compensation offered by Tehran to them, which is what Canada also did.

Canada, Britain, Ukraine and other countries involved in this file rejected the Iranian government’s decision to specify the compensation owed to the families of the victims, stressing that such a decision is not unique to Tehran, but rather is determined during negotiations between the concerned countries.

The Iranian government approved last week an amount of $150,000, or its equivalent in euros, for each victim of the ill-fated plane that was shot down by the Revolutionary Guards’ missiles.

Canadians who lost relatives organized a stop in the city of Toronto in their efforts to find out what happened that day.

The memorial was held online and by physical attendance in an open space, and the attendees raised pictures of the victims.

In Tehran, the military prosecutor, Gholam Abbas Torki, told state television on Friday, January 8, that ten officers had been subject to disciplinary measures, including dismissal or demotion, and that they would appear for trial soon, but he did not announce a time frame.

The Revolutionary Guards stated that they shot down the Ukrainian plane shortly after takeoff, thinking it was a missile in light of the escalation of tension with the United States after Washington’s assassination of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani on January 3, 2020.