Iran is accused of orchestrating a cover-up during its year-long investigation into the shooting down of a Ukrainian Airlines flight that killed all 176 people on board.
Flight PS752, bound for Kiev, was hit by two Iranian missiles within minutes of take-off from Tehran’s Iman Khomeini International Airport on January 8, 2020, a disaster the regime described as a tragic accident.
As the anniversary looms, Iranian air accident investigators are yet to publish a final report despite concerted pressure from foreign governments to come clean about the circumstances that led to the downing of the civilian airliner carrying passengers from six countries.
Iran says the missile was mistakenly fired by a mobile defence unit positioned on the edge of the airport. Its account includes a series of calamitous blunders by the missile unit, including misaligning the unit by 107 degrees – nearly one third of the compass – and failing to recognise the problem.
It said the unit then suffered a communications failure that cut it off from its commanders. The regime finally claims that the two surface-to-air missiles were launched at PS752 in direct contravention of orders not to fire until authorised by central command.
The litany of failures was dismissed by the families of the victims who said they knew from day one that it was not human error.
They believe the final definitive report of the disaster has not been published by Iran because it will expose its failure to properly investigate what happened and attribute blame to those responsible.
"We believe that Iran will do anything it can to hide the truth," said Amirali Alavi, a campaigner for the families and whose mother died on the aircraft. "And everybody's looking for answers."
Key questions unanswered include:
- Who gave the final order to launch the missile attack?
- How could PS752 have been considered an incoming missile if it was flying from Tehran?
- Why was airspace open despite Iran launching missile attacks on Iraq just hours before?
- Why was the PS752 flight delayed for an hour before take-off and on whose orders?
- Was anybody taken from the plane while it stood on the runway, as claimed by families?
- Why was there a six-month delay in handing over black box flight recorders?
- Did Iran warn airlines of the potential risks given the military build-up around Tehran?
- What systems were in place to stop civilian jets being attacked and why did they not work?
Up to six Iranians face charges over the shooting down of the aircraft but their identities and their positions in the military hierarchy are unknown.
The Canadian report said: “Iran bears a heavy burden of responsibility to be completely comprehensive and transparent in substantiating its explanations with credible, compelling evidence, which has not yet been forthcoming.”
The missile attack on the plane came amid heightened tensions after the assassination in a US drone strike five days earlier of Qassem Suleimani, the head of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The killing prompted promises of retribution with several volleys of Iranian missiles fired at two air bases in Iraq where US forces were housed just hours before the aircraft was attacked.
But Iran did not close its airspace to civilian aircraft despite airlines from countries including the US, Canada and Australia avoiding the area.
Lawyers for some of the families said Iran was on the highest state of defensive alert and the IRGC was “totally prepared for a fully-fledged war”.
Some relatives of those killed believe the attack was an act of reprisal rather than a blunder calibrated not to spark war with the US. Iran admitted it was responsible only three days after the attack.
International aviation rules give responsibility for investigating the crash to Iran – where the plane came down – which investigators said raised concerns about the independence of the investigation and lessons to be learnt for the sector.
“The party responsible for the situation is investigating itself, largely in secret,” Ralph Goodale, the adviser, wrote in the report. “That does not inspire confidence or trust.”
The families of those killed expressed frustration that Iran has been able to delay publishing the outcome of the inquiry.
Hamed Esmaeilion, a spokesman for The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims, said justice had been delayed while they tried to find out exactly what happened.
Mr Esmaeilion, whose wife and daughter died in the crash, said: “Iran is smart enough to know that it's in the driving seat.
“This is so frustrating, because I think the international community has accepted Iran as a normal regime.
“But this is not true. This is not a normal regime. They are criminals, they have done crimes for the last 42 years.
“And the world has decided to tolerate them for some reason. When they commit another crime, you see that nobody condemns it.”
Read more about the coronavirus
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight (Wednesday), BeIN Sports
Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
57%20Seconds
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rusty%20Cundieff%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJosh%20Hutcherson%2C%20Morgan%20Freeman%2C%20Greg%20Germann%2C%20Lovie%20Simone%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
INDIA V SOUTH AFRICA
First Test: October 2-6, at Visakhapatnam
Second Test: October 10-14, at Maharashtra
Third Test: October 19-23, at Ranchi
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
Miguel Cotto world titles:
WBO Light Welterweight champion - 2004-06
WBA Welterweight champion – 2006-08
WBO Welterweight champion – Feb 2009-Nov 2009
WBA Light Middleweight champion – 2010-12
WBC Middleweight champion – 2014-15
WBO Light Middleweight champion – Aug 2017-Dec 2017
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
Sri Lanka's T20I squad
Thisara Perera (captain), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Sachith Pathirana, Vikum Sanjaya, Lahiru Gamage, Seekkuge Prasanna, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay and Chathuranga de Silva.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Match info:
Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')
Morocco 0
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 3
Gayle (23'), Perez (59', 63')
Chelsea 0
