Iranian Parliament Probes US Warplanes’ Harassment of Iran’s Airbus

By Staff, Agencies

Rapporteur of Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Abolfazl Amouyee said that the body investigated two US fighter jets' hostile move against Iran's civil plane, noting that the US aggressive measure will be pursued in detail by various committees of the parliament.

"Iran’s parliament has probed into the issue of the recent threatening measure taken by two US fighter jets against Tehran-Beirut Flight No. 1152 of Mahan Air," Amouyee said, adding that the committees affiliated to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission would pursue the US illegal action.

Sunday's meeting of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission attended by officials from the Civil Aviation Organization, Mahan Airline and Foreign Ministry was held with a focus on reviewing different aspects of the of American fighter jets’ harassment of Iranian passenger plane in Syria airspace, he said.

"Members of the National Security Commission protested against the illegal American behavior and stressed the need to pursue the issue at the international level," Amouyee added.

He further quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Baharvand as saying that the perilous act was in violation of international law in several ways. "First is the illegal presence of US forces on the Syrian soil, which does not give them the right to intercept any aircraft. Second, flight safety, as a fundamental principle of aviation law, has been violated. Third, the approach of American fighter jets has been quite unprofessional and dangerous."

Baharvand said the Foreign Ministry is also pursuing the issue through the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, according to the MP.

Two US fighter jets approached a Mahan Air Tehran-Beirut flight over the Syrian sky in a highly risky move and the captain of the Iranian passenger plane was forced to make a sudden change of direction and altitude, causing several injuries.

The captain of Mahan Air Flight No. 1152 later said the pilots of the two hostile planes have identified themselves as US army pilots during a radio contact.