![\"\"](\"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/5f1ab95f85f5405eb6127814.jpg\")
A Mahan Air jet \u00a9 REUTERS\/Carlos Garcia Rawlins<\/p><\/div>\n
Iran is demanding that the US be held accountable for scrambling a fighter jet to shadow a packed commercial plane in Syrian airspace, calling it an act of terrorism that deserves a probe by the UN-led civil aviation authority.<\/p>\n
Iran is demanding that the US be held accountable for scrambling a fighter jet to shadow a packed commercial plane in Syrian airspace, calling it an act of terrorism that deserves a probe by the UN-led civil aviation authority.<\/p>\n
Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami went to great lengths to condemn the mid-air incident that saw an Airbus A310, flown by the private Mahan Air, perform an emergency maneuver after a close encounter with an American F-15 fighter jet.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could a passenger plane flying along a commercial route according to aviation protocols be attacked and threatened by some country’s fighter jets?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0he asked when talking to state news agency\u00a0IRNA<\/a>\u00a0on Friday.<\/p>\n Attacking a passenger plane is a terrorist act.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The minister said five passengers received injuries as the pilot had to perform a sharp nosedive, apparently trying to avoid a collision. The ill-fated A310, which traversed through Syrian airspace when the encounter happened, eventually landed in Beirut airport where the injured received medical care.<\/p>\n Tehran reserves the right to\u00a0\u201cpursue legal actions\u201d<\/em>\u00a0over the US\u2019 conduct, Eslami pledged, encouraging Syrian and Lebanese authorities to follow suit.<\/p>\n The US Central Command insisted the F-15 pilot acted safely while conducting\u00a0\u201ca standard visual inspection\u201d<\/em>\u00a0of the Iranian airplane, as Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for CENTCOM, put it in a comment for Reuters.<\/p>\n \u201cThe visual inspection occurred to ensure the safety of coalition personnel at Al Tanf garrison,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Urban said, referring to a US-run military base unlawfully set up on Syrian soil. He didn\u2019t explain what danger could have been posed by a commercial plane passing tens of thousands feet above the ground.<\/p>\n Notably, whereas the US Central Command said one F-15 had approached the plane, Iranian media reported that two warplanes were maneuvering in close proximity to the passenger airliner.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Iran\u2019s Civil Aviation Organization said the harassment of the Mahan Air jet\u00a0\u201cconstitutes clear violation of international law as well as aviation standards and regulations,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0as cited by Tasnim. The agency has urged the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to investigate the mid-air encounter.<\/p>\n