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Flight 752: Iran rejects missile theory as evidence mounts
Summary
A look back at 10 January 2020, when Tehran dismissed Western claims that an anti-aircraft missile brought down the Kyiv-bound airliner.
What did the world know about the loss of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 on 10 January 2020, two days after it came down near Tehran? The answer was split: Western governments pointed to a missile, while Iran held to a technical explanation.
The flight was a scheduled service from Tehran to Kyiv, operated by Ukraine International Airlines. The Boeing 737-800 crashed shortly after takeoff on 8 January 2020, and all 176 people on board were killed.
Iran's denial
On 10 January, after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that an Iranian missile had downed the plane, Iranian authorities rejected the idea. The head of Iran's civil aviation authority said he was certain the aircraft had not been hit by a missile. He continued to attribute the crash to mechanical failure.
The case built the day before
The denial came against a growing body of assertions. 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, at that point, was saying the cause was mechanical failure.
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.
Also on 9 January, Trudeau told a news conference it was too early to draw definitive conclusions that the downing was an act of war. He also condemned Iran's attack on U.S. bases in Iraq.
What the day showed
By 10 January, the dispute was clearly drawn. Four governments had publicly voiced their belief in an accidental missile strike, and video evidence had been published. Iran's aviation chief nonetheless maintained his position. Canadian caution on the question of an act of war showed that the debate over cause was being kept separate from any wider characterisation of the incident.
Later accounts established that the aircraft had been shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. On 10 January 2020, however, that was not Tehran's public position, and the gap between the two versions was the central fact of the day.
