Iran again rejects claim it shot down Ukrainian passenger plane saying its 'certain' it was not hit by a missile

Iran has again denied suggestions one of its missiles downed a Ukrainian passenger jet outside its capital, Tehran, killing 176 people on board.

It's head of the national aviation department Ali Abedzadeh told a press conference on Friday he was "certain" the plane had not been hit by a missile.

The Iranian ambassador to the UK has also on Friday said he was "clear" and "confident" that the Iranian military is not responsible.

Their comments came as new video emerged appearing to show a plane being hit by a projectile over Tehran.

Mr Abedzadeh was responding to claims by Western leaders that evidence suggested the plane had been hit by a surface-to-air missile just hours after Iran launched around a dozen ballistic missiles at two US bases in Iraq.

"What is obvious for us, and what we can say with certainty, is that no missile hit the plane," Mr Abedzadeh said.

"If they are really sure, they should come and show their findings to the world" in accordance with international standards, he added.

The Iranian ambassador Hamid Baeidinejad told Sky News he is confident that there was no missile launched in that area at that time.

Asked about footage which purports to show the incident, he said there is a “lot of footage and such videos” which he suggests contradict one another.

“There has been a video that the same model of Boeing airplane has been set fire in other countries,” he said, adding: “We should be very, very careful not to jump to any judgements and let the experts see and in fact verify first the black box, which is the most important element to help us to have the full story and voice recorder.

“In fact the voice of the captain also has been recorded, and we have the hard evidence on the ground, so these are the main elements that should be verified.”

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Friday called for an “independent, full and transparent” inquiry into what caused Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 to burst into flames just minutes after take-off.

US and Canadian intelligence officials believe the plane was downed by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, by mistake.

Debris from the jet is already believed to have been bulldozed from the crash site in farmland on Tehran’s outskirts, heightening suspicions of an attempted cover-up, particularly as Iranian authorities claim some of the aircraft’s black box memory has been lost.

Speaking on a visit to Canada, Mr Raab said: “We urgently now need an independent, full and transparent investigation. The Iranian regime must open up to the international community, including access to the crash site, so we can get to the truth as quickly as possible to give the families of the victims an understanding of what happened to their loved ones.”

Iran this morning strongly denied that the Boeing 737 was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile.

Boris Johnson also spoke with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on Friday morning to discuss developments.

A spokesman for the PM said: “The leaders expressed condolences to all those who lost loved ones on the Ukraine national airlines flight, including from the UK and Sweden.

“They agreed there must now be a full, transparent investigation and committed to working closely together and with other international partners to ensure families of the victims get the answers they deserve.

“They also underlined the importance of the continued fight against the shared threat from Daesh (so-called Islamic State) and urged the de-escalation in the region”.

Asked about why the PM thought the alleged missile strike on the plane had been “unintentional”, the Number 10 spokesman added: “I’m not going to get into speculation.

“We have been clear there now needs to be a full and transparent investigation.”

A video appeared to show a missile streaking through the early morning darkness on Wednesday before an explosion, which is believed to be the moment of impact on the plane which had taken off from Imam Khomeini international airport at 6.12am local time (2.42am UK time).

Unconfirmed reports on social media also show images of parts of a Russian-made Tor surface-to-air missile, reportedly found close to the crash site.

Tor missiles are guided by radar and fly at almost three times the speed of sound. If launched at a target three miles away, they will arrive within about five seconds.

Lord Ricketts, former UK National Security Adviser and ex-mandarin at the Foreign Office, told the BBC’s Today programme: “The Iranians have a very difficult and important choice to make very quickly... are they going to open up to a proper, co-operative air safety investigation and follow the evidence where it leads, in which case I think they would deserve respect and this incident ought to be treated separately from all the other areas of confrontation with Iran.

“Or are they going to cover up, try and hide evidence, obfuscate, in which case, I think the reputation of Iran will be further damaged.”

Experts believe the Iranian military, fearing reprisals after a series of missile strikes were launched hours earlier targeting Iraqi bases housing US soldiers in retaliation for the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, may have mistakenly targeted the jet which had climbed to nearly 8,000 feet and was heading for Ukraine’s capital Kiev.

The victims included 82 from Iran, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four British citizens and three Germans.

The three known British victims were engineer Sam Zokaei, from Surrey, Saeed Tahmasebi Khademasadi of west London, and Mohammad Reza Kadkhoda Zadeh, from near Brighton.

It also emerged that a 17-year-old boy who went to school in London, Arad Zarei, was among the dead. He attended school in Twickenham, before moving to Canada when his parents divorced.

Britain’s Air Accident Investigation Branch is ready to offer its expertise and Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke to Boris Johnson yesterday, invited the UK to join an inquiry.

A senior British official said the details of an international investigation were not clear yet. Amid the heightened tensions, the Foreign Office advised UK citizens against travelling to Iran or taking a flight to, from or within the country.

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