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Remember when the US shot down Iran’s airliner?
In 1988 it was the US that targeted a civilian plane – and immediately tried to cover it up, with the full support of Britain. Using freedom of information requests, SOLOMON HUGHES exposes the scandal
Left: A missile departs the forward launcher of Vincennes during a 1987 exercise. The same launcher was used in Flight 655's downing. Right: An Airbus A300 similar to the aircraft involved in the incident
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THE Iranian government is — rightly — facing fury from Iranian people over its armed forces shooting down a Ukrainian civilian airliner, killing 176 people.
Iran’s government is also rightly facing pressure to be open about how the Revolutionary Guard could make such a terrible mistake.
But how did London and Washington react when the US shot down an Iranian airliner in a similar incident in 1988? According to secret documents that I obtained by a freedom of information request, they tried to cover it up.
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