Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau have both said they believe Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 people on board. But Tehran has ruled out a missile strike, saying that scenario “makes no sense.”
US officials told various local media and news agencies on Thursday that they believed a Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed near Tehran on Wednesday morning was likely brought down accidentally by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, US President Donald Trump said he had suspicions that “somebody could have made a mistake,” without going into detail.
“Some people say it was mechanical. I personally don’t think that’s even a question,” Trump said, adding that “something very terrible happened.”
All 176 people on board were killed when the Kyiv-bound Ukrainian International Airlines flight crashed outside the Iranian capital minutes after taking off in the early hours of Wednesday. At least 62 Canadians, 82 Iranians and 11 Ukrainians were among the dead.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference later Thursday that his government had intelligence from “multiple” sources that showed an Iranian missile shot down the jet.
“The intelligence evidence suggests very clearly a possible and probable cause for the crash,” he said, adding that a strike “may have been unintentional.”
US officials told various local media and news agencies on Thursday that they believed a Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed near Tehran on Wednesday morning was likely brought down accidentally by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, US President Donald Trump said he had suspicions that “somebody could have made a mistake,” without going into detail.
“Some people say it was mechanical. I personally don’t think that’s even a question,” Trump said, adding that “something very terrible happened.”
All 176 people on board were killed when the Kyiv-bound Ukrainian International Airlines flight crashed outside the Iranian capital minutes after taking off in the early hours of Wednesday. At least 62 Canadians, 82 Iranians and 11 Ukrainians were among the dead.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference later Thursday that his government had intelligence from “multiple” sources that showed an Iranian missile shot down the jet.
“The intelligence evidence suggests very clearly a possible and probable cause for the crash,” he said, adding that a strike “may have been unintentional.”