Trudeau says evidence shows Iranian missile downed Ukraine jet

Colombo (News 1st): Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that the possibility a missile downed the passenger airplane has not been ruled out but it has not been confirmed yet.  The Ukrainian airliner crashed on January 8th killing at least 176 people on board. Victims included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, and 11 Ukrainians as well as nationals from Sweden, the UK, Afghanistan, and Germany. The Ukrainian government said it was investigating reports of debris from a Russian-made Tor-M1 missile. The Tor also called the SA-15 Gauntlet by NATO, is a short-range “point defence” system that is designed to be mobile and lethal against targets at altitudes up to 6,000 meters and at ranges of 12 km. Reports say that a surface-to-air missile brought the airliner down in Tehran. US media have speculated that the timing of the crash suggests the plane may have been mistaken for a US warplane as Iran prepared for possible US retaliation for the strikes. US President Donald Trump said yesterday that he had "suspicions" about what happened to the plane. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commented on the supposed airstrike at a press conference.

"We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies and our own intelligence. The evidence indicates the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. This may well have been unintentional. This new information reinforces the need for a thorough investigation into this matter."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison cited an intelligence report that showed a Ukrainian commercial flight was shot down in Tehran days ago and reiterated a travel ban to Iraq. Ali Abedzadeh, head of Iran's civil aviation department, has rejected claims that Tehran unintentionally hit the airliner with a surface-to-air missile, saying it was impossible due to close coordination between Iran's air defence and civil aviation departments. Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi addressing the United Nations Security Council spoke on the issue.

"Mr. President, I'm here today to deliver a statement on behalf of His Excellency, Mr. Zarif, whose visa was denied by the United States in contravention of the Headquarters Agreement. The world is at a crossroads, with the end of monopolies on power, one unhinged regime is frantically clamoring to turn back time."

Iran has invited both Ukraine and the Boeing company to take part in the plane crash investigation. In the United States, President Donald Trump made the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani a theme of his re-election campaign, drawing cheers from thousands at a rally when he said the death saved lives and delivered "American justice." However, anti-war protesters hit the street worried U.S. military action in the Middle East will lead to another endless war with casualties on all sides. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to stop President Donald Trump from further military action against Iran. The Democratic-controlled House voted 224 to 194, mostly along party lines, sending the war powers resolution to the Senate. Meanwhile, oil edged further above $65 a barrel as concerns about a possible renewed spike in Middle East tensions outweighed rising U.S. inventories and other signs of ample supply.