Iranian MP Hassan Norouzi told media in the country that the Iranian military did "well" by downing a civilian Ukrainian airliner in January during an Iranian missile attack on the Ain Al-Asad base in Iraq, according to Al Arabiya.
The MP added that no arrests have been made in relation to the incident, contrary to official claims.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down a Ukraine International Airlines plane on January 8, killing all 176 onboard, soon after conducting a missile attack on the Ain Al-Asad base in Iraq in response to the US assassination of former IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.
Iran at first refused to acknowledge that the plane had been shot down, claiming that it crashed due to a "technical failure." The country later admitted that the plane had been shot down.
Norouzi told the state-run Hamdeli daily on Sunday that the military "carried out their duties well. The movement of the plane was very suspicious."
"The plane was no longer under the control of the watchtower and appeared to have come under America’s control,” Norouzi said, according to news outlet Al Arabiya. "The plane was in Israel the week before and was tampered with.”
Norouzi claimed that the plane had "special targets" in Iran.
“Considering this evidence, it would be meaningless to arrest the individuals involved,” added the MP, stressing that no arrests will be made.The Hamdeli daily reported on Monday that an informed source said that, despite the remarks by Norouzi, there had been several arrests. The source told Hamdeli that it is better for people to refrain from expressing their personal opinions in this regard.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has claimed that multiple individuals were arrested for their involvement in the downing of the aircraft. Iran insists that the plane was shot down due to "human error."