The Ukrainian jet that crashed after taking off from a Tehran airport probably was mistakenly shot down by an Iranian missile, a London-based global information firm says.
“Photographs purportedly taken near the site of the crash and circulated on social media appear to show the guidance section of an SA-15 Gauntlet short-range, surface to air missile, which landed in a nearby garden,” the firm IHS Markit said in its report.
The firm said it could not confirm the authenticity of the photos but “assesses them to be credible.”
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashed hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. soldiers. All 176 passengers and crew of the Boeing 737-800 were killed.
President Trump said Thursday he found the crash suspicious.
Senate signals readiness to hit Russia with hard sanctions if peace deal fails
Trump: Zelenskyy meeting not ‘end of the road’ for US support in securing a peace deal
DC Police Union Announces the Immediate Impact of Trump’s National Guard Deployment
Not All of You Got Pardons So Watch Your Mailboxes: Trump Pardon Attorney Warns J6 Committee Members and Rest of Hoaxers That Justice Is Coming
Trump announces he’ll helm movement to eliminate mail-in voting and voting machines: ‘FIGHT LIKE HELL’
Bill Barr arrives for Oversight Committee investigation into Epstein
Tariff uncertainty threatens $490B in US manufacturing investment, report warns
US and Ukraine Hammer Out Details of Zelensky’s Outfit Ahead of White House Visit: Report
Illegal immigrant accused of killing 3 in Florida highway crash crossed border into California in 2018: DHS
Look: Lib Tries to Embarrass Vance With Pic Comparing Him and Newsom as Kids, Then Internet Sends Avalanche of Humiliating Newsom Pics
Trump enters Zelensky summit with approval ‘surging upward’
Suspect took ‘specific’ actions before fatal attack on country singer’s mom, former FBI agent says
Bill Barr, former Trump attorney general, to face House investigators in Epstein probe
Watch: Comey Drops Surreal Video on Taylor Swift – So Strange You Would Swear It’s AI, but It’s Not
Trump Officially Calls for Sen. Warren to Take Drug Test: Will It Go Better Than Her DNA Test?
In Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said that investigators were looking into claims that parts of a Russian-made, surface-to-air missile stocked by Iran had been found near the crash site.
In a preliminary crash report issued Thursday, Iran’s civil aviation authority said the plane’s crew never made a radio call for help and were trying to turn back to the airport when the plane went down. The plane apparently suffered engine failure, Iranian officials said.
IHS Markit says publicly available air traffic data is “not consistent” with Iran’s claim. The firm says flight data shows a normal ascent until the plane disappears at 8,000 feet.
“This is consistent with a catastrophic incident onboard the aircraft,” the report said.
The report adds that “A pilot of an airliner that took off from Tehran airport shortly after UIA Flight 752 told an IHS Markit source that he watched the aircraft take off and then explode in midair.”
Newsweek, citing two Pentagon officials, said the plane was struck by an anti-aircraft missile. The officials told Newsweek the strike was likely accidental.
Senate signals readiness to hit Russia with hard sanctions if peace deal fails
Trump: Zelenskyy meeting not ‘end of the road’ for US support in securing a peace deal
DC Police Union Announces the Immediate Impact of Trump’s National Guard Deployment
Not All of You Got Pardons So Watch Your Mailboxes: Trump Pardon Attorney Warns J6 Committee Members and Rest of Hoaxers That Justice Is Coming
Trump announces he’ll helm movement to eliminate mail-in voting and voting machines: ‘FIGHT LIKE HELL’
Bill Barr arrives for Oversight Committee investigation into Epstein
Tariff uncertainty threatens $490B in US manufacturing investment, report warns
US and Ukraine Hammer Out Details of Zelensky’s Outfit Ahead of White House Visit: Report
Illegal immigrant accused of killing 3 in Florida highway crash crossed border into California in 2018: DHS
Look: Lib Tries to Embarrass Vance With Pic Comparing Him and Newsom as Kids, Then Internet Sends Avalanche of Humiliating Newsom Pics
Trump enters Zelensky summit with approval ‘surging upward’
Suspect took ‘specific’ actions before fatal attack on country singer’s mom, former FBI agent says
Bill Barr, former Trump attorney general, to face House investigators in Epstein probe
Watch: Comey Drops Surreal Video on Taylor Swift – So Strange You Would Swear It’s AI, but It’s Not
Trump Officially Calls for Sen. Warren to Take Drug Test: Will It Go Better Than Her DNA Test?
Iran authorities say they have recovered the audio and data recorders from the flight, but say they won’t allow Boeing or U.S. aviation officials access to the black boxes.
The Iranian explanation immediately drew skepticism from some aviation experts.
“That is the wreckage of an explosion in the air,” she said. “Something happened to blow that plane out of the air. Statistically speaking, that’s a missile or a bomb.”