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What was known about Flight 752 on 9 January 2020
Summary
A look back at the day Western officials pointed to an Iranian missile, while Tehran blamed mechanical failure, and a video appeared.
Who, or what, brought down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752? On 9 January 2020, a day after the Boeing 737-800 crashed near Tehran, killing all 176 people on board, the question was already being answered in public, though not by Iran.
The flight had been a scheduled service from Tehran to Kyiv. It was later established that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot it down shortly after takeoff on 8 January 2020. That conclusion was not accepted by Iran on 9 January.
Competing explanations
On that date, 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".
A video emerges
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's caution
In 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.
By the end of 9 January 2020, then, the picture was split: several governments and a published video pointed towards a missile, while Tehran maintained a technical-fault explanation.
