Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and Britain on Thursday said they may consider new steps in line with international law against Iran, if it fails to respond by January 5 to demands for reparations after the shooting down of an airliner last year.
Most of the 176 people killed when Iran shot down a Ukrainian jet in January 2020 were citizens from those four countries. The countries formed a co-ordination group that seeks to hold Tehran to account.
“The Co-ordination Group's patience is wearing thin,” it said in a statement. The group said it had pressed Tehran to open talks on reparations and to deliver justice, but that it had shown reluctance to respond in a timely manner.
The group said Iran should respond by January 5, or it would “have to seriously consider other actions to resolve this matter within the framework of international law”, without giving further details.
Tehran has said its Revolutionary Guards accidentally shot down the Boeing 737 jet, blaming a misaligned radar and an error by the air defence operator at a time when tensions were high between Tehran and the US.
Last month, families of the victims alleged in a report that high-ranking Iranian officials were responsible.
In June, Canada said it had found no evidence that the shooting down of the plane had been premeditated.
