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Chicago-(EJ) European Security Officials said that Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner on Wednesday, based on continuing analysis of data from satellites, radar and electronic data collected routinely by military and intelligence sources.
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he suspected the crash was caused by the Iranians
European security officials told CNN that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface to air missile in retaliation for the killing of its top general in Iraq.
The timing of the crash , coming just hours after Iran fired missiles at two Iraqi bases housing US troops. The exchange of attacks between Tehran and Washington on Iraqi soil was a dramatic escalation of tensions between the adversaries, and is raising fears of another proxy war in the Middle Ea
The head of Iran's Civil Aviation Authority has refused to deny the allegations.
Ali Abedzadeh said, "There is no question that a rocket or missile hit the plane, the only question is whether the Americans are behind this attack?”
Abedzadeh said that “he believed that the the great Satan, American, shot down the plane and are now trying to blame Iran. He said,”Americans are behind all of the evil in the world, they are the great “Satan,” I am glade my relatives were not on that plane.”
Newsweek was first to report US and Iraqi sources reporting that Iran shot down the plane.
The Ukrainian International Airlines (UIA) flight PS752 came down just minutes after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday local time, killing all 176 people on board, including dozens of Iranians and Canadians. The Boeing 737-800 was headed for Kiev, where 138 passengers were expected to take a connecting flight to Canada. Ukrainians, Swedes, Afghans, Germans and British nationals were also aboard.
Boeing was relieved to hear that a missile hit their 737 plane killing 138 people, and that it was not a "soft ware," problem that brought down the plane.
Joe Biden said,"I never had a problem with the Iranians, If they get the bomb, they will not use it on Israel or the U.S" Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders both agreed with Biden.