Iran to ICAO: Harassment of Airliner by US Jets 'Clear Violation of Intl. Law'
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran Civil Aviation Organization lodged a protest at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), condemning the recent harassment of an Iranian passenger plane by two US jets over Syria as a ‘clear violation of international law and standards”.
“The harassment of the Iranian passenger plane by US warplanes (over Syria) constitutes clear violation of international law as well as aviation standards and regulations,” Iran Civil Aviation Organization said in a statement on Friday.
It further strongly slammed the aggressive move and urged the ICAO to look into the issue as soon as possible.
Two US fighter jets came close to a Mahan Air passenger plane in Syrian airspace on Thursday, causing the pilot to quickly change altitude to avoid collision.
A video posted by Iran’s IRIB news agency showed a jet from the window of a plane and blood on the face of a passenger – reportedly as a result from an injury sustained during the sudden altitude change.
IRIB initially reported a single Israeli jet had come near the plane but later quoted the pilot as saying there were two jets which identified themselves as American.
The pilot of the passenger plane contacted the jet pilots to warn them about keeping a safe distance and the jet pilots identified themselves as American, IRIB reported.
The plane later landed in Beirut, safely evacuating its passengers, some of whom were injured.
After refueling, it immediately took off and returned to Tehran’s Imam Khomeini without any harassment, media reports say.