Iran invites Boeing, Ukraine to join probe into plane crash that killed 176

Iran has invited Boeing and Ukraine to take part in the investigation into Ukrainian jetliner crash which killed 176 people. An Iranian agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson saying that Iran 'has invited both Ukraine and the Boeing company to participate in the investigations'. The spokesperson, Abbas Mousavi, also said it will also welcome experts from other countries’ whose citizens died in the crash.

This comes after Iran had initially said that it would not allow Boeing to take part in the probe and went against the international norms on crash investigations. Boeing 737-700 crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran on January 7 which was also the same day when Iran fired multiple missiles on Iraqi military bases housing US troops. 

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Under the rules by United Nations aviation organisation, the United States is entitled to participate in the probe as Boeing jetliner was designed and built in the US. However, there have been no immediate comments from Boeing. Canadian, British, and US officials said that it is 'highly likely' that Iran shot down the Boeing jet that crashed near Tehran. Reportedly, US officials also said that the jetliner might have been 'mistakenly identified' as a threat. 

Trudeau, whose country lost its 63 citizens in the crash, said, 'we have intelligence from multiple sources including our allies and our own intelligence.' He further added, 'The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile'. The UK PM Boris Johnson and Australian PM Scott Morrison offered similar statements. Morrison also said that it appeared to be a mistake.

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US joins probe into plane crash

The US National Transportation Safety Board said on January 9 that it will join the probe into Ukrainian Boeing airliner crash in Iran which killed 176 people. The US-made Boeing 737 went down just minutes after takeoff from Tehran and shortly after Iran had fired multiple missiles at Iraqi military bases housing US troops. NTSB said that it had received a 'formal notification' from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board of the Civil Aviation Organisation of Iran.

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(With AP inputs)