The Iranian government has refused Ukraine’s request for compensation for the loss of the Ukrainian Airlines Boeing 737 that was accidentally shot down shortly after take-off from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport on January 8 this year.
While the government does not rule out paying compensation for the victims, even though an initial offer made in February was rejected by the Ukraine, the request to pay compensation for the jet itself has been rejected as it was insured by European insurers, not Iranian insurers. “The Ukrainian plane is insured by European companies in Ukraine and not by Iranian (insurance) companies,” said Gholamreza Soleimani, according to the Young Journalists Club news website affiliated with state TV. “Therefore, compensation should be paid by those European companies.”
While more recent negotiations on compensation were held in July, a further round of talks has been scheduled for October this year and Ukrainian officials have confirmed that they will be looking to obtain the maximum amount of restitution as possible for the victims. Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization concluded in its July report that the downing of the passenger jet was as a result of a string of mistakes, including the misalignment of a radar system and a lack of communication between the air defense operator and his commanders.
The incident occurred when Iran was in a state of high alert subsequent to having launched a missile attack on an Iraqi base housing American troops in retaliation for the killing of the country’s most powerful commander, Qassem Soleimani, on January 3.
