Ukraine - it's too early to blame human error for downing of passenger plane in Iran

FILE PHOTO: People hold posters with names of victims of the Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 plane disaster during a commemoration ceremony in front of the Iranian embassy in Kiev, Ukraine February 17, 2020. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's foreign minister said on Tuesday it was soon to blame human error for the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger airliner near Tehran in January, challenging the findings of Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation (CAO).

The CAO said in an interim report that the plane was accidentally downed, killing 176 people on board, because of a misalignment of a radar system and lack of communication between the air defence operator and his commanders.