Iran report blames error for downing of Flight 752

Iran's civil aviation authority is pinpointing an error by an air-defence unit as the reason why a passenger jet was shot down by the Iranian military in January 2020

The agency says in a final report into the crash that two missiles were fired at Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 shortly after takeoff from Tehran on Jan. 8 last year after an operator "misidentified" the plane as a "hostile target."

The report, which Canada's Transportation Safety Board will comment on Thursday, backs up what the Iranian military said last year: human error caused the tragedy.

#MEDIA: TSB will hold a news conference to provide its comments on the final safety investigation report into the downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 https://t.co/4K9Q1UGWIi

— TSB of Canada (@TSBCanada) March 17, 2021

Iran initially denied involvement, but three days later said it was shot down by accident after being mistaken for a missile amid heightened tensions with the United States.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard shot down the Kyiv-bound Boeing 737-800 several days after then-U.S. president Donald Trump ordered a strike that killed a top Iranian general.

All 176 people on board the jetliner were killed, including 55 Canadian citizens, 30 permanent residents and dozens of others bound for Canada.