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Dubai:
Iran mentioned on Friday a US fighter jet “harassed” an Iranian civilian airliner in an act of terrorism that injured and panicked passengers, dismissing a US account that the jet was merely conducting a visible inspection.
State TV video footage of the within of the Mahan Air airliner confirmed a passenger mendacity motionless on the ground and one other with a wounded nostril and brow, presenting his bloodied face masks to the digicam.
Several passengers, some seen screaming and shouting, had been injured within the flight manoeuvre over Syria because the airliner quickly modified altitude to keep away from collision, in line with Iranian media.
The US navy mentioned its F-15 had stored at a protected distance.
Its Central Command, which oversees American troops within the area, mentioned the fighter was conducting a visible inspection of the airliner because it handed close to the Tanf garrison in Syria, residence to U.S. forces.
The inspection was carried out in accordance with worldwide requirements “at a safe distance of about 1,000 metres (3,280 feet)… to ensure the safety of coalition personnel at Tanf garrison,” senior spokesman Captain Bill Urban mentioned.
“Once the F-15 pilot identified the aircraft as a Mahan Air passenger plane, the F-15 safely opened distance from the aircraft.”
The United States has lengthy accused Mahan Air of ferrying weapons for Iranian-linked guerrillas in Syria and elsewhere and imposed sanctions on the airline since 2011.
The pilot of the passenger aircraft contacted the jet pilots to warn them to maintain a protected distance they usually recognized themselves as American, Iran’s official IRIB information company reported.
Iranian Road Minister Mohammad Eslami was quoted by the semi-official ISNA information company as saying Tehran had lodged a criticism with the International Civil Aviation Organization, describing Thursday’s incident as a “terrorist act, one of aggression”.
Laya Joneydi, vice chairman for authorized affairs, was quoted as saying by Iranian media that the U.S. motion was “harassment of a passenger plane” and a “clear violation of aviation security”.
“The explanations provided so far (by the U.S. military) are unjustified and unconvincing,” she mentioned.
Lebanon’s highly effective Iran-backed Hezbollah motion, condemned the incident in a press release as a “terrorist act …that could have led to consequences of an unknown extent in the region”.
‘ELECTION PLAYTHING’?
Iran’s Foreign Ministry mentioned the encounter could be linked to the upcoming U.S. presidential election, state media reported.
“The security of West Asia should not become a plaything in the U.S. election campaign,” ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi mentioned. He didn’t elaborate.
“Iran won’t leave any hostile move against its nation unanswered and shall respond decisively and appropriately to any irrational move in due time,” Mousavi mentioned.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused the United States of endangering civilian passengers. “These outlaws must be stopped before disaster,” he tweeted.
The Iranian aircraft was heading from Tehran to Beirut.
Video footage confirmed oxygen masks fallen from the overhead roof panels. One jet might be seen via a seat window flying far away in a transparent blue sky.
“I saw a black plane approaching us, and then we lost our balance,” one unidentified injured passenger advised state TV.
“It was a jet. Almost so near our plane.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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