A flashback to US hostility toward Iran, downing of IranAir Flight

On July 3, 1988, it was less than ten minutes that the Iranian Airbus plane had left Bandar Abbas Airport for Dubai when it was shot down by two missiles fired by the US warship deployed in the Strait of Hormuz, killing all the 290 people on board.

The US administration claimed that the crew detected a plane that was transmitting signals which identified it as a military aircraft and that it was rapidly descending towards their ship; the signals caused mistake by the crew about the large Airbus A300 for a much smaller F-14 Tomcat. This is while the USS Vincennes was equipped with the most advanced radars.

Therefore, targeting an Iranian passenger plane could be translated to another stage of US encountering with the Islamic Republic of Iran amid the ongoing imposed war by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein at the behest of Washington.

Even after a few years, the US president Ronald Reagan granted Captain William Rogers, the commander of the USS Vincennes, a medal of courage showing their support for this criminal act.

Captain Carlson, the former commander of USS Sides, said: 'In addition to sending signals showing that it was a civil aircraft, the Iranian Airbus plane was ascending with a low speed and even if it was detected as an F-14 fighter jet, I still doubt that an F-14 fighter jet could be a threat to the USS Vincennes, the USS Sides or any other vessel.'

Even after the images of the deadly incident were carried by media outlets, the world witnessed inaction of international bodies to denounce the criminal action of the US administration.

Two days after the tragic incident, Iran called on the UN Security Council to convene immediately to investigate the case but the UN Security Council did nothing but to express regret over the incident and issued and statement which went nowhere.

The Iranian government also lodged a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) but this organization also restricted itself to issuing a statement.

Translator: Ahmad Mohammadi
Editor: Safar Sarabi
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