Iranian government allocates $150,000 for families bereaved by Ukrainian plane downing – Iran news agency

Iran has approved the payment of $150,000 to families of those killed when a Ukrainian passenger plane was shot down by the Iranian military in January, IRNA has reported citing government sources.

IRNA, the official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said the government has put aside $150,000 for each family of the 176 people who died when Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was downed leaving Tehran on January 8.

“The Ministry of Transport and Urban Development has been instructed to arrange for the payment of $150,000 or its equivalent in euros to the families of each of the victims as soon as possible and to pay the amounts to the beneficiaries based on the relevant documents,” the Legal Department announced, according to IRNA. 

The agency claims that the compensation will be paid without any discrimination based on nationality, citizenship or gender. 

Flight 752 was shot down by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp shortly after take-off from Tehran en route to the Ukrainian capital Kiev. 

All 176 passengers and crew perished, including 82 Iranians, 63 Iranian-Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three British nationals.

The Iranian military mistook the Boeing 737-800 for a cruise missile and launched a surface-to-air missile to intercept it. 

The downing took place during a period of heightened tensions between Iran and the US, five days after President Trump launched a drone strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq. 

The Iranian government denied any involvement for three days before taking responsibility. At the time when Iranian authorities were still claiming a technical fault onboard the plane caused the crash, videos emerged on social media appearing to show the plane being hit by a missile before striking the ground. 

Canada has already given C$25,000 to the relatives of each of the 57 Canadian citizens and permanent residents who died in the crash to help with immediate costs, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted Iran must be financially responsible.

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