Iranian Ambassador, on Ukrainian airliner crashed near Tehran: Authorities invited other countries to join investigation

The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Bucharest, Morteza Aboutalebi, stated on Friday, in a press conference, that the Iranian authorities invited experts from several countries to participate in the investigation regarding the Ukrainian airliner that crashed near Tehran, and that it is taking place in the international legislation's parameters.

"According to the official information of the Iranian Government, the accident took place due to a technical issue of the engine. The Iranian authorities invited the relevant persons from other countries and even the Boeing company to join the Iranian team of experts that is taking part in investigating the accident," said the diplomat.

He stated that "according to the international legislation, the black boxes must be analyzed in the country where the accident took place."

"According to the information we received from the Iranian authorities, several teams of experts were invited from other countries, one being Ukraine. They were invited to take part in this investigation and we will have to wait for the conclusions," the ambassador emphasized.

The ambassador also made several references to the international legal framework.

"There are international regulations. Nobody does whatever they want. They [the black boxes - e.n.] must be opened in the presence of all relevant groups and then... Nobody should manipulate on this topic. According to the international regulations, there are efforts being made to find information, then conclusions are drawn, then the media is informed," Morteza Aboutalebi added.

Furthermore, the diplomat said that next Monday, at the Iranian Embassy in Bucharest, a book of condolences in memory of the victims will be opened.

The Boeing 737 airliner, which was conducting flight PS752 of Ukraine Airlines International, crashed on Wednesday morning a few minutes after taking off from Tehran. The 176 persons on board, most of them Iranian and Canadians, lost their lives.