Iran is reportedly refusing to compensate Ukraine International Airlines for the jet that was downed in Tehran by the Revolutionary Guards on January 8, 2020. According to local media, the country’s official has suggested that the duty should fall on the European companies that had insured the aircraft.
Iran’s position on compensating for the tragic fate of the downed Ukrainian aircraft that had cost 176 people their lives appears to have changed.
“The Ukrainian plane is insured by European companies in Ukraine and not by Iranian companies, therefore the compensation should be paid by those European companies,” the head of Iran’s Central Insurance Organization Gholamrez Soleimani said to Mizan online in a press conference on August 10, 2020.
Iran has maintained a strong position that the shooting-down executed by Revolutionary Guards was unintentional and due to human error. Hours before the fatal crash, the Iranian military had launched over 12 missile attacks on U.S. bases, seeking revenge for the Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani’s death and was expecting retaliation.
The missile defense was allegedly on high alert and the radar operator mistook the aircraft for an attack against Iranian defense. The Ukrainian jet was shot down, killing everyone inside as the aircraft disintegrated in collision with the ground.
Damages of the jet and cargo were estimated to be around $100 to $150 million, but Ukraine refused to comply with Iran’s story of a “human error,” remaining adamant throughout negotiations with Iran about its position to demand recompensation of highest value.
On July 31, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said that Iran had agreed to pay the compensation, but that the implementation of the payment was to take time due to technical and legal aspects.