Irdc.ir: On 3 July 1988, the world witnessed an unbelievable crime committed by United States. Hundreds were murdered when Iranian passenger flight was shot down by an SM-2MR surface-to-air missile fired from USS Vincennes of the US Navy.
After the incidents, US authorities were under pressure of the public opinion, so they initially tried to justify their action as a defensive move, and pretended that they had shot down a military aircraft. The claim was condemned globally. BBC Radio said: "Vincennes has one of the most accurate and developed radar systems and anti-aircraft defence. So the question is how it hasn't recognized the passenger flight".
The experts stated that the cruiser was able to identify the plane by electronic devices, they had 4 minutes to identify the passenger flight.
Yomiuri, published in Tokyo, claimed that the excuses were inadequate: "Their explanations are poorly, how their modern cruiser couldn't distinguish the huge Airbus from an assumed F14? The international anxiety about the incident is evident".
The Kenyan Press also disclaimed the US authorities statement: "No bright mind can accept the claim that the attack was a mistake, due to the high tech systems of the cruise, the possibility of making a mistake is zero".
Frontier Post wrote: "If we believe that it was a mistake, then how can we trust people who aren't able to distinguish a passenger flight from an F14 to guarantee the safety of Persian Gulf"?
In Pakistan,the press called this crime of the US Navy an "Unexampled Massacre".
Alvahdah, published in UAE, asked: "Can Advanced Technology of the United States not recognize a passenger flight"?
The Press in Switzerland also stated that US action was inexplicable.
Albayan described the Airbus Plane shootdown as "Governmental Terrorism" and asked the United States not to interfere in every country in every way, and stop breaking the international laws".
The official Press of the Soviet Union published a report in 4 July 1988: "The whole world were touched by the incident, and the public opinion which had already warned about US Navy Presence in Persian Gulf and its consequences, were hurt".
Muslim Newspaper wrote in an article titled "Massacre In The Sky": "The shootdown proved that even the airlines and the sky is not secure from the terrorist activities of Washington".
Markaz noted in its leading article: "The US presence in Persian Gulf creates a new disaster every single day, and this time, the massacre of 300 innocent passengers is a gift from United States to Muslims".
