Iranian officials maintain it's 'scientifically impossible' for the Ukraine International Airlines flight to have been shot down by a missile

Ashley Collman

January 9, 2020 7:02 PM

Multiple US outlets are reporting that Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile in Iran.

Iran plane crash

However, Iran continues to maintain that its missile defense system is not to blame.
An Iranian official said Thursday that it was "scientifically impossible" for one of their defense missiles struck the plane because of its altitude and the fact that no other planes in the area were harmed.
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Despite a wave of evidence coming out Thursday suggesting that Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 was hit by a surface-to-air missile before it crashed outside Tehran, Iranian officials continue to maintain they're not to blame.

Following the new reports, an Iranian official said it's "scientifically impossible" that one of their defense missiles hit the plane because it was flying at an elevation of 8,000 feet, the Fars News Agency reported.

However, that would make it well within the range of the 29 Tor M1 missile defense batteries that Iran purchased from Russia in 2005, which can hit targets of up to 20,000 feet in altitude.

The official also points out that several other commercial jets were flying at that altitude at the same time, seeming to suggest that because none others were hit that the missile defense system wasn't triggered.

This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.

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