Iran is reportedly refusing to pay compensation for the damages caused to the Ukraine International Airlines plane that it shot down in January, claiming the payout should come from European insurance companies.
“The Ukrainian plane is insured by European companies in Ukraine and not by Iranian (insurance) companies,” the head of Iran’s Central Insurance Organisation, Gholamreza Soleimani, said on Monday.
“Therefore, compensation should be paid by those European companies.”
There was no immediate comment made available from affected European aviation insurers.
The Ukrainian airliner was accidentally shot down by Iranian forces shortly after take-off above Tehran in January, in an incident that Tehran later called a “disastrous mistake” made by forces on high alert.
Tensions between the US and Iran were high at the time, and the airliner was reportedly mistaken for an American missile. All 167 people on board were killed.
It should be noted that Soleimani’s comments refer exclusively to compensation for the destroyed aircraft, and did not address any compensation for the families of the victims on board the aircraft.
As previously reported, negotiations for appropriate compensation to the families are still underway, with the next round of talks due to take place in October.
In February, Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kiev was not satisfied with the initial compensation offer put forward by Iran, and will be pushing for maximum compensation for the affected families.
Ukraine also said it would not hesitate to bring the matter to international courts if no deal can be made, renewing its determination to “bring Iran to justice”.
