Iran says its forces shot down passenger plane due to human error

General view of the debris of the Ukrainian International Airlines, flight PS752, Boeing 737-800 plane that crashed after takeoff at the Iran’s Imam Khomeini airport on the outskirts of Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2020. [Reuters]

Iran said on Saturday it unintentionally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane killing 176 people on board due to human error, after initially denying it brought down the plane in the tense aftermath of Iranian missile strikes on US targets in Iraq.

Wednesday’s crash heightened international pressure on Iran after months of friction with the United States and tit-for-tat military strikes. Washington killed an Iranian general last week in Iraq, prompting Tehran to fire at US targets.