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US fighter jet challenges Iran passenger plane - Iran media | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Iran's media say at least one US fighter jet came dangerously close to an Iranian passenger plane in Syrian airspace - a claim denied by the US. | |
Iran's Irib state news agency says the pilot of the Mahan Air aircraft had to quickly change altitude, which resulted in injuries to several passengers. | |
Video posted by Irib shows one jet from the window of the plane and a passenger who had blood on his face. | Video posted by Irib shows one jet from the window of the plane and a passenger who had blood on his face. |
But the US military later said its F-15 jet was at a safe distance. | |
"A US F-15 on a routine air mission in the vicinity of the at [al]-Tanf garrison in Syria conducted a standard visual inspection of a Mahan Air passenger airliner at a safe distance of approximately 1,000 metres (3,281ft) from the airliner this evening," Capt Bill Urban, spokesman for US Central Command, said in a statement late on Thursday. | |
He said the inspection was carried out to ensure the safety of personnel at the US military base at al-Tanf, near the border with Iraq and Jordan. | |
"Once the F-15 pilot identified the aircraft as a Mahan Air passenger plane, the F-15 safely opened distance from the aircraft," the spokesman added. | |
The Mahan Air aircraft en route from Tehran to Beirut landed safely in the Lebanese capital. | |
It was not immediately known how many passengers and crew were on board the plane. | It was not immediately known how many passengers and crew were on board the plane. |
After refuelling, the aircraft flew back to the Iranian capital on Friday. | |
In its earlier reports, Irib news agency said that two fighter jets could have been Israeli. | |
Mahan Air is a private Iranian airline that was established in 1991. | Mahan Air is a private Iranian airline that was established in 1991. |
In 2011, the US imposed sanctions on Mahan Air, accusing it of providing financial, material and technological support to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards. | In 2011, the US imposed sanctions on Mahan Air, accusing it of providing financial, material and technological support to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards. |
In 2019, several European countries banned the company from operating at their airports. | In 2019, several European countries banned the company from operating at their airports. |