UN aviation experts to join Ukraine plane crash investigation in Iran

The UN aviation watchdog will join the investigation into the crash of the Ukrainian airliner in Iran that killed all the 176 people on board. Minutes after the Ukrainian flight PS752 took off from Tehran last week, it came crashing down killing all the passengers and crew. Among those killed were dozens of Iranians and Canadians. The flight was headed for Kyiv, the Ukraine capital.

Iran on Saturday admitted that it had accidentally shot down the plane shortly after striking American air bases in Iraq in response to the US drone killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Tehran launched an investigation into the Ukrainian plane crash and on Tuesday announced to have made the first arrests in connection with the incident.

Iran had invited the UN for support in its probe into the Ukrainian plane crash. In a statement, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said that the invitation from Iran was accepted on Tuesday.

The ICAO has appointed senior and expert technical staff, who will now serve as advisors and observers in the probe, it said. Few details of the investigation have been released by the Iranian authorities, but Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised address that it will be overseen by several experts and that the judiciary will create a special court.

Initially, Iran denied responsibility for the crash, reportedly blaming it on a technical failure but eventually admitted that the operator of a missile defense system had mistaken the plane for a missile and shot it down. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the country's judiciary reportedly said at a press conference that the investigation will look into the causes and direct impact of the incident.

A specialized agency of the United Nations, ICAO was created in 1944 to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. It is based in Montreal, Canada. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency, capacity, and environmental protection, amongst many other priorities.

The ICAO serves as the forum for cooperation in all fields of civil aviation among its 193 Member States.