Iran said yesterday it “unintentionally” shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing all 176 people aboard, in an abrupt about-turn after initially denying Western claims it was struck by a missile. President Hassan Rouhani said a military probe into the tragedy had found “missiles fired due to human error” brought down the Boeing 737, calling it an “unforgivable mistake”. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered his condolences and ordered the armed forces to address “shortcomings” so that such a disaster does not happen again.

Meanwhile, Ukraine demanded punishment those guilty for the downing of the Ukrainian airliner and compensate victims while praising Tehran for cooperating with the “objective” investigation as the world leaders demanded full account after Iran admits downing the Ukraine jet on Wednesday.

The acknowledgement came after officials in Iran had for days categorically denied Western claims that the Ukraine International Airlines airliner had been struck by a missile in a catastrophic error.

The jet, which had been bound for Kiev, slammed into a field shortly after taking off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport before dawn on Wednesday.

It came only hours after Iran launched a wave of missiles at bases hosting American forces in Iraq in response to the killing of Qasem Soleimani, one of Iran’s top generals, in a US drone strike.

The aerospace commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards accepted full responsibility.

But Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said the missile operator acted independently when he shot down the Boeing 737 after mistaking it for a “cruise missile”.

“He had 10 seconds to decide. He could have decided to strike or not to strike and under such circumstances he took the wrong decision.”

“It was a short-range missile that exploded next to the plane,” he added.

Iran had come under mounting international pressure to allow a “credible”

investigation after video footage emerged appearing to show the plane being hit by a fast-moving object before a flash appears.

Ukraine and Canada called for accountability after Iran’s admission.

The military was first to acknowledge the error, saying the aircraft had been mistaken for a “hostile target”.

It said Iran had been at the highest level of alert after American “threats” and that the plane had turned and come close to a “sensitive” military site before it was hit due to “human error”.

Rouhani said Iran had been on alert for possible US attacks after Soleimani’s “martyrdom”.

“The perpetrators of this unforgivable mistake will be prosecuted.”