Iranian passenger plane forced to change course as US fighter jets approached

Iran promises political response after several passengers were reportedly injured when Mahan Air plane quickly changed altitude

Reuters – Thu 23 Jul 2020

Two US fighter jets came close to an Iranian passenger plane over Syrian airspace, causing the pilot to change altitude quickly to avoid collision and injuring several passengers, Iran’s official IRIB news agency reported.

The agency initially said a single Israeli jet had come near the plane but later quoted the pilot as saying there were two jets that identified themselves as American.

In response, US Central Command 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.

IRIB reported the pilot of the passenger plane contacted the jet pilots to warn them to keep a safe distance and they identified themselves as American. Video posted by the agency showed a single jet from the window of the plane and comments from a passenger who had blood on his face.

US Central Command said the US F-15 was on a routine mission in Syria and conducted “a standard visual inspection of a Mahan Air passenger airliner at a safe distance of approximately 1,000 metres”.

“Once the F-15 pilot identified the aircraft as a Mahan Air passenger plane, the F-15 safely opened distance from the aircraft.”

The Iranian Mahan Air plane was heading from Tehran to Beirut and landed safely in Beirut, an airport source told Reuters.

An Israeli military spokesman had no immediate comment and there was no immediate comment from the US military.

The incident is being investigated and Iran foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said the necessary legal and political action would be taken, according to the foreign ministry website.

Israel and the US have long accused Mahan Air of ferrying weapons for Iranian-linked guerrillas in Syria and elsewhere.

The United States imposed sanctions on Mahan Air in 2011, saying it provided financial and other support to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

Tensions have spiked between Tehran and Washington since 2018, when President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have battered Iran’s economy.

One passenger quoted in the IRIB report described how his head had hit the roof of the plane during the change in altitude and video showed an elderly passenger sprawled on the floor.

All of the passengers left the plane, some with minor injuries, the head of the Beirut airport told Reuters.

The plane arrived back in Tehran in the early hours of Friday morning, the Fars news agency reported.