Iran dismissed after it was said that its officials concealed or forged evidence related to the Ukrainian plane crash.

"In these sad days, many criticisms were directed against Iranian officials and authorities, some of whom were even accused of lying and covering up. But to be honest, it was not like that." , Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said today on state television.

"To lie is to deliberately fabricate the truth. To lie is to hide. To lie is to know the truth without telling or falsifying it," Rabiei emphasized. He further explained that what Iranian officials provided before admitting the downing of the plane on January 11 was based on information that Tehran had at the time, when they were "at the height of a psychological war." that the United States conducted against Iran. "

The statements came after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards commander (IRGC) Hossein Salami on Friday told parliament they "did not touch anything" at the scene of the crash. allegedly changing the relevant evidence. "We did not relocate the wreckage of the aircraft, we did not change the scene, we did not move the air defense system nor change the radar," Salami said.

The Iranian military admitted to "accidentally" shooting down a Boeing 737-800 in airspace on January 8, killing 176 people. Military representatives said the soldiers mistook the passenger plane as a "hostile target" due to its shape, altitude, and the sudden turn of the aircraft towards a military base.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called this "an unforgivable tragedy", while Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also admitted that the Ukrainian plane crashed "due to human error".

He expressed his regret, apology and condolences to the Iranian people, the families of all the victims and other affected countries. The Office of the Iranian President said in a phone call with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on the evening of November 12, Rouhani promised to investigate the disaster thoroughly. Iranian leaders urged all parties to join hands "to restore security and peace in the region".

Boeing 737-800 aircraft with serial number PS752 of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) crashed on the morning of January 8 after taking off from the airport in Tehran, Iran. All people on board were killed. The shooting took place hours after the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) launched missiles at two bases in Iraq, where US forces are stationed, in response to the US air raid to kill General Soleimani. , commander of Iran's Quds task force, in Baghdad.