Iran says it is 'certain' missile did not down Ukrainian plane and calls on West to share data

Iran has said it is “certain” that a Ukrainian airliner which crashed outside Tehran this week was not hit by a missile, calling on the US and others to hand over information proving otherwise.

Ali Abedzadeh, head of Iran's national ’s aviation department, said in a press conference on Friday that assessments by Western intelligence that an Iranian defence system brought down Ukranian Airlines Flight 752, killing all 176 people onboard, were wrong.

The US, UK and Canada on Thursday said all evidence pointed to a catastrophic error by Tehran's air defence batteries downing the aircraft.

Dismissing allegations against Iran, Mr Abedzadeh said that "any remarks made before the data is extracted ... is not an expert opinion."

The black box has been recovered and will be examined.

Hassan Rezaeifar, the head of Iran's investigation team into the crash, told the press conference that the black box analysis will be done in a laboratory in Iran and that it will take up to two months to extract its data and that the entire investigation into the crash could take more than one year.

He said that Tehran will use expert help from Russia, Ukraine, France and Canada "if we cannot recover data" from the plane's recorders.

The New York Times on Thursday released footage it said it had verified, showing a fast-moving object rising to an angle into the sky before a flash is seen, which dims and then continues moving forward. Several seconds later an explosion is heard.

The video was taken in Parand, near Tehran’s international airport.

Another video has emerged that appears to show a plane on fire falling slowly to the ground.

American intelligence agencies determined that a Russian-made Iranian air defense system fired two surface-to-air missiles at the plane, perhaps mistaking it for a hostile aircraft.

Those aboard the plane most likely faced terrifying final moments. It is thought the missiles detonated just outside it, sending shrapnel and debris into the fuselage.

The plane then turned back toward the airport, before it began hurtling toward the ground.

“We have seen some videos. We confirm that the airplane was on fire for 60 to 70 seconds," Mr Abedzadeh said. But "that it was hit by something cannot be scientifically correct.”

Ali Rabiei, the government's spokesman, earlier accused the US of a "big lie", saying the crash was caused by technical failure.

"It is unfortunate that the psychological operation of the US government and those supporting it are adding insult to the injury of the bereaved families and victimising them for certain goals by propagating such fallacies," Mr Rabiei said.

"No one will assume responsibility for such a big lie once it is known that the claim had been fraudulent," he was quoted as saying by Press TV.

Iran invited Boeing, the manufacturer of the plane, as well as Ukraine and Canada to help with investigations. It was unclear what they would be allowed to investigate and whether they would be allowed into Iran.

According to journalists who visited the crash site on Friday, authorities have already removed most of the wreckage and taken down the cordon. There were no investigators at the scene.

Iran will likely not admit to shooting down the passenger jet, particularly if it was an accident as Western intelligence believes. Not only would it reveal incompetence in its air defence system, but it would also place the blame on Tehran for the deaths of 82 Iranian citizens and a number of dual nationals.

Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, whose country lost at least 63 citizens in the downing, said "we have intelligence from multiple sources including our allies and our own intelligence."

Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, said: "The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile."

They may hesitate to share information on such a strike because it comes from highly classified sources.

Canada, the UK, France and other co-signatories of the Iran nuclear accord have been scrambling in recent months to keep the deal alive after the US withdrew in 2018.

EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting today to seek ways to guide the US and Iran away from confrontation, knowing that a miscalculation on either side could leave the bloc facing a war and a serious nuclear proliferation crisis on its doorstep.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, warned Tehran could have nuclear weapons in one to two years if the country carries on violating the 2015 deal.

Meanwhile, protesters in Iraq, will today stage large-scale protests across the country, which they say has become a staging ground for the shadow war between the US and Iran.

Some have mourned the death of the slain Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, whose death in a US strike triggered the latest escalation. Others have celebrated, accusing him of ordering the killing of hundreds of peaceful protesters by Iran-backed militias.