Iran denies accusations of lying and 'cover-up' over shot down airliner

Tehran: After repudiating for days to have downed an Ukranian jetliner with 176 on-board, Iranian government has now denied accusations of "lying" and "cover-up" as its armed forces have admitted to had shot down a Ukrainian airliner by mistake last week.

"In these sorrowful days, many criticisms were directed at relevant officials and authorities...some officials were even accused of lying and a cover-up but, in all honesty, that was not the case," spokesman Ali Rabiei said in remarks aired on state television.

Iran announced on Saturday that its military ‘unintentionally’ shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing all 176 aboard.

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The statement came Saturday morning and blamed human error for the shoot-down.

The jetliner, a Boeing 737 operated by Ukrainian International Airlines, went down on the outskirts of Tehran during takeoff just hours after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at US forces.

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Iran had denied for several days that its missile had downed the aircraft. But then the US and Canada, citing intelligence, said they believe Iran shot down the aircraft.

The plane, en route to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries, including 82 Iranians, at least 63 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians, according to officials.

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