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What did the world believe about Flight 752?
Summary
A look back at the day Western governments pointed to an Iranian missile while Tehran cited a mechanical fault.
What was known about the loss of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 by 9 January 2020, one day after it came down near Tehran? The picture was already diverging sharply between Iran and the governments of several other countries.
The flight was a scheduled service from Tehran to Kyiv, operated by Ukraine International Airlines. The Boeing 737-800 crashed shortly after takeoff, and all 176 people on board were killed.
On 9 January, U.S., Canadian, British and Iraqi officials said they believed the crash was likely caused accidentally by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile. Iran, for its part, attributed it to "mechanical failure".
Video adds to the case
The same day, The New York Times released a verified video obtained from an Iranian citizen. It showed the plane being struck by what appeared to be a surface-to-air missile.
Ottawa urges caution
At a news conference, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was "too early to draw definitive conclusions" that the downing of the plane was an "act of war". He also condemned Iran's attack on U.S. bases in Iraq.
What came later
The account that officials described as likely on 9 January was later confirmed in the sense that the aircraft was shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was established after the event.
