Iran May Have Downed Passenger Plane Killing 176 People, U.S. Officials Say

U.S. officials believe that Iran shot down a Ukraine International Airlines passenger plane on Wednesday, according to CBS News, the Associated Press and multiple other news outlets citing anonymous government sources.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson supported the assessment, saying evidence indicates an Iranian surface-to-air missile downed the plane. He added that striking the plane may have been unintentional, and said it was too early to draw conclusions.

The Kyiv-bound plane crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran’s airport, killing all 176 people on board. The disaster took place early Wednesday morning, hours after Iran launched a series of missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops as a retaliation for the U.S. killing of top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Iran’s alleged downing of the plane was likely accidental, officials told news outlets.

Iran and Ukraine launched a joint investigation into the crash following the disaster, but Iran has refused to provide the black boxes from the plane to either U.S. investigators or the plane’s manufacturer, Boeing.

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