Iran rejects blame for plane crash

Iran on Friday continued to deny one of its missiles brought down a Ukraine International Airlines plane despite mounting evidence. The crash on Wednesday killed all 176 people on board hours after Iran launched several ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Iraq. Ali Abedzadeh, head of Iran’s national aviation department, on Friday said with “certainty” that no missile hit the plane, which went down shortly after taking off near Tehran.

What does the evidence say? The Associated Press shared two videos of the accident, including one showing a small light rising in the sky followed by a loud boom about 10 seconds later. The prime ministers of Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom have all said their intelligence agencies have confirmed an Iranian surface-to-air missile shot down the plane. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the strike was likely not “an intentional act.” U.S. officials added that Iran likely mistook the airplane for a threat in retaliation for its earlier missile launch.

Dig deeper: Watch the videos of the plane crash.