MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th January, 2020) Iranian Civil Aviation Organization chief Ali Abedzadeh on Thursday rejected Ukraine's suggestion that its airliner could have been struck down by a missile while leaving Tehran.
Secretary of Ukraine's National Security Council Oleksiy Danylov said they considered all possible causes of the Boeing's crash on Wednesday, including a missile strike and a bomb blast inside the plane.
"Several domestic and foreign flights were flying in the Iranian airspace at the same time and altitude. Hence, the theory of a missile downing the jet cannot be accurate," Abedzadeh said in a statement.
He stressed that Iran's civilian and military aviation sectors were maintaining constant coordination. Iran sent the data it collected on the crash to all concerned parties, the official added.
The Ukrainian airliner with 176 people on board came down shortly after taking off from Tehran. The same day, Iran fired several ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases hosting US troops in retaliation for the US killing of a top Iranian general.
