Comment: Was this encounter an act of terrorism (an attack) by the Americans or a routine flyby that startled the pilot, given Mahan Air's proximity to a US base? Iran has its theory and is not shy in saying so:

UPDATE: 24/7/2020 Air Probe

Iran is demanding that the US be held accountable for scrambling a fighter jet to shadow a packed commercial plane in Syrian airspace, calling it an act of terrorism that deserves a probe by the UN-led civil aviation authority.

Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami went to great lengths to condemn the mid-air incident that saw an Airbus A310, flown by the private Mahan Air, perform an emergency maneuver after a close encounter with an American F-15 fighter jet.

"How could a passenger plane flying along a commercial route according to aviation protocols be attacked and threatened by some country's fighter jets? Attacking a passenger plane is a terrorist act."

Tehran reserves the right to "pursue legal actions" over the US' conduct, Eslami pledged, encouraging Syrian and Lebanese authorities to follow suit.

According to Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for CENTCOM: "The visual inspection occurred to ensure the safety of coalition personnel at Al Tanf garrison." He didn't explain what danger could have been posed by a commercial plane passing tens of thousands feet above the ground.

Meanwhile, Iran's Civil Aviation Organization said the harassment of the Mahan Air jet "constitutes clear violation of international law as well as aviation standards and regulations," as cited by Tasnim. The agency has urged the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to investigate the mid-air encounter.

Iranian PM Zarif pulls no punches in slamming the US with accusations including 'compounding lawlessness' amid confusing reports on the incident in the context of US illegal occupation in Syria.

UPDATE: 24/7/2020 Zarif's reactions

UPDATE: 24/7/2020 Tehran has now submitted a complaint to the ICAO stipulating the close encounter as an act of terrorism by a war plane and claims the right of legal pursuit:

Transportation Minister Mohammad Eslami stressed Tehran expects the US's "terrorist move" to be condemned by the organization. He also called on Lebanon and Syria to file their own separate complaints against the US in the ICAO in relation to Thursday's incident.

Iran is also expected to submit a letter of protest to the United Nations Security Council and to Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Mahan Air announced that its plane was flying in full compliance of international air navigation rules when Thursday's incident took place, and added that its commercial aircraft have been flying the same Tehran-Beirut for over a decade. The company confirmed that the intercept took place during a stage of the flight when passengers were allowed to unbuckle their seatbelts, and revealed that the plane's pilot had to abruptly lower the plane's altitude after receiving an alert on a possible collision.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi called the latter CENTCOM claim a "mockery."

Laya Joneydi, vice president of legal affairs in President Hassan Rouhani's administration, said that "the explanations provided so far [by the US side] are unjustified and unconvincing. The harassment of a passenger plane on the territory of a third country is a clear violation of aviation security and freedom of civilian aircraft."

Comment: Since then, the UK and French govts have made a public show about 'fighting vile migrant traffickers':

The problem thrown up by Farage's reporting, however, is that the 'vile criminals trafficking migrants' are effectively the British and French govts. It certainly clarifies the role then UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid had in mind when he announced in January 2019 that "the Royal Navy would patrol the English Channel for migrant boats..."

See also: UK's illegal migrants scandal makes a mockery of 'Take Back Control'. Officials haven't estimated how many there are for 15 YEARS

Comment: This is indicative of the extent to which national govts have lost power/influence in recent times, particularly since the boom of Covid-19 was lowered on the world. The world has bifurcated into an international archipelago of 'sanctuary cities' which the elite classes treat as their own 'green', 'liberal' playgrounds, oases in a 'desert' of 'backward' masses of 'nationalists' who hold onto such antiquated notions as tradition, stability and family.

Voting is utterly redundant in this new reality; the internationalist cosmopolitan-urban classes just do as they see fit, and this attitude of theirs is succinctly articulated here by a consortium of investors planning to effectively create an 'autonomous zone' in the middle of someone else's country. It's imperialism on steroids, though of course they will paint it as 'the height of liberal freedom'...

Comment: See also:

• Rand Paul calls out Fauci over Covid-19 : 'You don't get to decide for all of us', lockdown is based on 'one wrong prediction after another'
• Sen. Rand Paul condemns mandatory vaccines: We should not give up our liberty for a 'false sense of security'

Comment: Other media outlets are spinning the Ukrainian official's comment at him saying simply that 'Iran illegally downed the plane'.

Obviously!

But that isn't what he implied. He implied that interference took place which contributed to causing Iran to down that plane. Whether, by that, he means to suggest that Iran deliberately shot it down, or that she was tricked into doing so, remains open. However, given high levels of Iranian-Ukrainian cooperation on this matter, such an accusation is unlikely.

As we speculated at the time, it appears that Iran's air defense system operator was 'tricked' into reading the UA flight as an incoming US 'retaliatory' missile, part of which may have involved altering the radar signature of the UA plane.

And yet, within days of the incident, Iran 'ate the fault'. Why?

Well, the Iranian govt was riding on its 'propaganda victory' of successfully targeting US bases in Iraq. The accidental downing of the UA flight put a dampener on that, so they apparently decided it was best to 'make the problem go away' rather than protest innocence and imply that some third party bested their air defenses.

Was Iranian Missile Operator Tricked Into Shooting Down The Ukrainian Airlines Plane Over Tehran?

Comment: See also:

• Skripal update: English coroner runs out of legal camo, evidence, for postponing Dawn Sturgess death inquest - attempts lying to press
• Coroner in Skripal-Sturgess case forced to announce new inquest hearing under threat of breaking law and lying to press

Comment: It's likely that the technology and maneuvering hinted at in the announcements have already progressed further than the countries involved are letting on:

• Japan Defense Ministry to draft UFO protocols in response to US footage
• Watch Russian military put another top secret "inspection" satellite into orbit
• Classified: Roscosmos knows "exactly what happened" to Soyuz spacecraft
• Another massive explosion at an arms depot in Russia
• The US tests space weapon: Back to Star Wars (II)

Comment: See also:

• Paranoid in the UK: British Parliament warns of 'Russian military threat'
• Brexit opponents hoped 'Russia report' would show Moscow's interference, but only revealed blindness of UK's foreign policy
• 'Russia Report': Once-mighty British intelligence has been reduced to regurgitating sensationalist Buzzfeed stories
• Free press? Labour letter demands RT UK's license revoked in light of 'damning' evidence-free Russia report
• The "Russia Report": Deep State reinforcing delusion to spread fear and seize power