US, Canadian Officials Say Iran May Have Accidentally Shot Down Crashed Ukrainian Boeing 737

Two U.S. officials say it is "highly likely" a Ukrainian airline that crashed in Iran was brought down accidentally by an Iranian missile.

All 176 people on board the jet were killed when the plane crashed late Tuesday just after takeoff in Tehran en route to Kiev, Ukraine.

The crash came  after Iran's military launched a ballistic missile attack on bases in Iraq that were hosting U.S. troops in retaliation for a U.S. missile strike that killed a high-ranking Iranian military official. 

The Associated Press and Reuters reported that unnamed U.S. officials said U.S. satellites detected the launch of two missiles just before the the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 went down.

Iranian investigators have said the plane was on fire while still in the air, citing witness accounts.

Canadian Prime Minister said Thursday that intelligence from multiple sources indicates the 737 was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, ABC News reported. Trudeau added that the incident may have been unintentional. 

The U.S. officials said they didn't have definitive evidence a missile hit the plane, but the crash could have been the result of a mistake if the Iranian military mistook the jet for a military threat amid heightened tensions with the U.S. 

President Donald Trump said Wednesday American officials believe Iran is standing down following the missile attacks on U.S. bases, which according to him didn't injure any U.S. personnel. 

Boeing Scrutiny

Boeing, which has reeled following reports of a questionable work environment following two 737 crashes last year, saw its stock trading 2.2% higher at $338.47 at the time of publication Thursday. 

Related Links

Boeing 737 Crashes In Iran, More Than 170 Dead

US, Iran Justify Their Attacks As 'Self-Defense' To United Nations

Photo by Fars News Agency via Wikimedia.