Iran agrees to pay relatives compensation for victims of downed plane
The victims came from Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Afghanistan, Britain and Sweden.
Iran on Wednesday said it would be prepared to pay compensation to the relatives of those killed when a Ukrainian passenger plane was mistakenly shot down by its air defence force.
Iran is willing to pay 150,000 dollars to the family of each of the 176 victims, the state news agency IRNA reported.
The amount should be paid "immediately," according to the legal department of the Presidential Office, though IRNA did not name an exact date.
The announcement comes almost a year since the Ukrainian Boeing aircraft was shot down on 8 January shortly after taking off from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board.
Iran admitted having shot down the plane only after a delay. In mid-July, the country's aviation authority spoke of a "human error" in its final report.
The victims came from Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Afghanistan, Britain and Sweden.
Diplomatic tensions
The incident has repeatedly led to diplomatic tensions between Tehran and the five affected countries in recent months.
Iran had said it was ready to pay compensation in principle, but wanted to clarify all technical and legal aspects in advance. The other side accused Tehran of delaying tactics.
Iran has been in an acute economic crisis since the US reimposed sanctions in 2018. The crisis has been further exacerbated this year by the pandemic.