Iranian media reports say Iran has invited Boeing and US aviation investigators to participate in the investigation into a Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week killing all 176 people on board.
The move came after Western leaders said the plane appeared to have been unintentionally hit by a missile amid soaring tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Iranian state-run IRNA news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying Iran "has invited both Ukraine and the Boeing company to participate in the investigations”.
The spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, said it will also welcome experts from other countries whose citizens died in the crash.
The crash occurred hours after Iran targeted US forces in two bases in Iraq to avenge the killing of one of its top generals, Qasem Soleimani in a US airstrike.
According to Reuters, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has accepted the invitation from Iran to participate in its investigation in Tehran.
The NTSB has reportedly designated an accredited representative to the investigation of the crash.
A person briefed on the matter said it was unclear what, if anything, its representative would be able to do under US sanctions, Reuters reported.
The US is allowed to take part under global rules since the Boeing 737-800NG jet was designed and built there.
IRNA says that a statement released by the Iranian government reads that a committee in charge of investigating the incident has been formed on the basis of regulations of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which will examine the incident transparently, precisely, quickly and with the participation of all experts from relevant countries.
“As per the international rules, aviation organization of the country wherein the incident occurred (Iran), aviation organization of the country issued qualification for the flight (Ukraine), owner of the plane (Ukraine), factory builder of the plane (Boeing) and factory builder of the engine of the plane (France) can take part in the investigation of the incident,” the statement says.
Ukraine representative is currently in Iran, the statement said, inviting Boeing to send representative to engage in examining the flight recorder.
“We also welcome presence of the relevant states whose nationals were killed in the bitter incident in the process of investigation,” the statement noted.
On the order of President Rouhani, results of the technical examinations will be made available immediately and regularly to the public, especially b
