US, Iran News: Canada's Trudeau Blames US, Trump For Ukraine Plane Crash

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave voice to lingering suspicions pervading Canada that president Donald Trump must share the blame for the destruction of a Ukrainian passenger jet by Iran that killed 57 Canadian citizens.

It was later revealed 138 of the 167 passengers were bound for Canada. There were also nine crew aboard Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (PS752) shot down near Tehran on the early morning of January 8 by two surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) fired by an Iranian SAM battery.

On Tuesday, Trudeau hinted Trump has to share in the blame for the destruction of Flight 752.

"I think if there were no tensions, if there was no escalation recently in the region, those Canadians would be right now home with their families,” said Trudeau in a TV interview with Global National.

“This is something that happens when you have conflict and war. Innocents bear the brunt of it and it is a reminder why all of us need to work so hard on de-escalation, moving forward to reduce tensions and find a pathway that doesn’t involve further conflict and killing."

Trudeau added that he would have "obviously" appreciated a warning from his U.S. ally, Trump, before the attack happened.

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani roundly blamed the U.S. for the tragic shootdown. Iranians have also blamed the tensions that led to the plane's destruction on Soleimani's assassination.

"It was the U.S. that caused such an incident to take place," asserted Rouhani.

In a press conference a day after the Ukraine plane crash, Trudeau said information from Canada's intelligence services showed Flight 752 was shot down unintentionally by an Iranian SAM. He called for a thorough and credible investigation of the incident.

Trudeau confirmed Canada has received "intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies and our own intelligence" indicating "the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile."

"This may well have been unintentional," he pointed out. "This new information reinforces the need for a thorough investigation into this matter. Canada is working with its allies to ensure that a thorough and credible investigation is conducted to determine the causes of this fatal crash."

Flying at 8,000 feet, Flight 752 was shot down less than six hours after Iran launched 22 ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing Iraqi, American and Coalition troops. No one was killed or injured during the two hour-long missile strike. The Iranian armed forces, including the missile battery that shot down Flight 752, were on high alert during and after the strike.

On January 11, a statement on Iranian state TV admitted the plane was shot down "unintentionally" by Iran. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) aerospace commander Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh accepted full responsibility for the shoot down. He said a missile operator acted independently and alone. He mistook the passenger jet for a cruise missile and launched the SAMs at the plane.

"When I confirmed what had happened, I really wished I could die myself," said Gen. Hajizadeh.