Two US warplanes have conducted dangerous and aggressive maneuvering closed to an Iranian airliner, putting lives of tens of civilian passengers on board in danger.

Iran starts investigation into harassed Mahan airliner

Iran Civil Aviation Organization has started an investigation into the incident that happened to a Mahan airliner on Thursday night on Syrian territory where it was harassed by two American fighter jets.

Iran COVID-19 update: 2,489 news cases, 215 deaths

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has claimed the lives of 215 people in Iran in the past 24 hours, putting the total death toll at 15,289 as of Friday. The virus also infected 2,489 people in Iran in the past 24 hours, increasing the total cases to 286,523.

Iran urges ICAO to address US’ dangerous action

An official with the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization said that the body has urged the ICAO to address the dangerous actions of the United States against airliners in the region.

Zarif: ‘Audacity to compound lawlessness upon lawlessness’

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif condemned the ‘lawlessness’ of the United States which ‘endangered’ lives of civilians on board the Iranian airliner. “US illegally occupies territory of another State and then harasses a scheduled civil airliner—endangering innocent civilian passengers—ostensibly to protect its occupation forces,” said Zarif, referring to Mahan Air’s Flight 1152 with 163 passengers and crew on board which was harassed by two American warplanes on Thursday. “Audacity to compound lawlessness upon lawlessness,” he said, adding, “These outlaws must be stopped before disaster.”

Spox: US terrorist act on Iran’s airline requires reciprocal action

The terrorist act of the United States on harassment of an Iranian airliner in Syrian airspace requires reciprocal action, said Spokesman of the Guardian Council.

Iran will not leave any hostile action unanswered

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson reacted to the recent provocation by US warplanes against an Iranian airliner, noting that Iran will give a firm response in proper time.

No end to US criminal acts: envoy

Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Fri. that there is no end to the criminal acts of the United States.

The criminal actions taken by US in threatening lives of ordinary people, ranging from economic terrorism to aviation terrorism, are not over, Kazem Gharibabadi added.

Any criminal act by US to accelerate Zionist regime’s end: Ghalibaf

Iranian Parliament speaker has reacted to the recent aggressive maneuvering by two US warplanes close to an Iranian airliner over Syria, saying that any misconduct by the US will lead to a sooner end of the Zionist regime.

The US warplanes threatened and intimidated a civilian Iranian plane in the Syrian airspace, the statement said, describing the attack as “terrorist and dangerous that could have unknown repercussions on the entire region.”

US warplanes’ interception of an Iranian civilian plane carrying on board Lebanese passengers requires an international stance, Hezbollah said, stressing that the US is an occupation power in the Syrian territories and airspace.

On Thursday night, US warplanes operating illegally in Syria conducted aggressive maneuvers dangerously close to an Iranian Mahan Air flight over Syria’s al-Tanf region.

Mahan Air’s Flight 1152 had taken off from Tehran and was en route to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, when the incident happened.

Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hassan also denounced the US move, calling it “a blatant attack” and saying that it would be only normal to file a complaint with international courts.

In his reaction to two US warplanes’ harassment on an Iranian passenger plane over the Syrian sky, he called the US government move “unacceptable”.

Gharibabadi called on the international community to stand up against such malicious behaviors and force the United States to behave like a normal country.

“The criminal acts of the United States in threatening the lives of ordinary people, ranging from economic terrorism to aviation terrorism” are not over. Isn’t it time for the international community to stand united in the face of these acts in violation of US international law, which also threatens international peace and security, and to force it (United States) to act as a normal state? Threatening ordinary people and children and women to achieve political goals is the dirtiest kind of politics that will certainly fail,” he wrote in his Instagram page.

In response, spokesperson the US Central Command terrorist organization said a single F-15 had made a “visual inspection” of the Iranian airliner “in accordance with international standards… to ensure the safety of coalition personnel” at the military base in al-Tanf.

The command claimed that the US F-15 was on a “routine air mission” in Syria and conducted “a standard visual inspection of a Mahan Air passenger airliner at a safe distance of approximately 1,000 meters”.

The international community should condemn this move taken by the United States against the Iranian airliner, he said, adding, “Islamic Republic of Iran will follow up the case against the United States through its representative in ICAO in next few hours.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Eslami said that the harassment is a clear violation to legal rights and against the safety of passengers and added, “according to ICAO rules, all countries have a duty to ensure the safety of flights in their own country, and this is a requirement for all countries.”

No fighter jet has the right to enter the commercial route of aircraft, he said, adding, “commercial and international flight routes are known and no warplane has the right to invade or enter the commercial route. Mahan Airlines has a flight license and its route is quite clear, so, there is nothing ambiguous on this flight and all issues related to this flight are clear.”

Two US warplanes put the lives of tens of Iranian and Lebanese civilians in danger after conducting dangerous maneuvering near Beirut-bound Mahan Air’s Flight 1152 on Syria’s air on Thursday night. The airliner’s pilot reportedly reduces flight altitude to avoid colliding with the warplanes which has led to several injuries among passengers.