Iran Hajizadeh Air Defense Commander "I Wanted to Die Over Passenger Plane Shootdown" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Defense, said on the 11th that he "wanted to die" after hearing on the 8th (local time) that a Ukrainian passenger plane was shot down by an Iranian missile.

Commander Hajizadeh stated, "I wished I had never seen such an incident," and added, "I accept full responsibility for this shootdown incident and will willingly accept any decision made by the relevant authorities." This is the first time a senior officer of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard has publicly reflected on an operational failure.

He explained, "In the past week, tensions and conflicts in the Middle East have reached an all-time high," and said, "The Iranian military maintained 100% alert status equivalent to wartime conditions, and especially since the U.S. warned of strikes on key Iranian sites, we prepared thoroughly for this."

He continued, "In this situation, numerous defense systems were added to the defense network surrounding the capital Tehran," and said, "The mistake of shooting down the passenger plane occurred in the newly added air defense system."

He also explained, "When the struck passenger plane took off from Imam Khomeini Airport, the air defense unit judged it to be an enemy (U.S.) cruise missile based on the information received," and added, "Before firing the air defense missile, cross-verification should have been done, but at that time, whether it was due to jamming systems or ongoing communications, the communication system was not functioning properly."

He admitted, "The air defense unit had only 5 seconds to respond and unfortunately made a bad decision to fire a short-range air defense missile, which hit the passenger plane."

Commander Hajizadeh is a prominent Iranian general who gained recognition last June after shooting down the U.S. military's advanced unmanned reconnaissance drone 'Global Hawk' near the Strait of Hormuz with an air defense missile developed domestically in Iran.