AN Iranian man has revealed how he was left fighting against his own family after they refused to believe his nephew was “murdered” by the Revolutionary Guards.
Meghdad Jabelli told The Sun how he ditched his home and fled Iran after his nephew died when the regime shot down a passenger aircraft using missiles.
Supplied Medical student Mohammad Amin Jebelli medical student was killed after Iran’s IRGC shot down his plane[/caption]
Supplied A partially burnt document retrieved from the crash site showing Mohammad Amin’s profile[/caption]
AFPPeople stand near the wreckage after a Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers crashed near Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran on January 8, 2020[/caption]
All 176 people on board Kyiv-bound flight PS752 were killed after two Tor M1 surface-to-air missiles hit the plane on a clear morning in January 2020.
Meghdad’s nephew Mohammad Amin Jebelli, a 29-year-old medical student, was also onboard the flight that morning.
After losing his loved one, Meghdad, who was a professional lawyer in Iran, confronted his family about the crash and blamed the IRGC.
However, his family shut him down.
Meghdad told The Sun: “When I first heard the news, I was completely heartbroken, like anyone who loses a loved one in such tragedy and an unexpected way.
“When I confronted my family, they told me I was being fooled by false media reports. They said it’s a war after all and someone may get killed.”
“I felt isolated because instead of sharing the pain and grief, my own family stood against me.
“I tried to explain from the beginning that this was no accident but a terrible crime, but they refused to believe me. It was incredibly painful for me.
“I asked myself if should I cry in sorrow, scream in anger or fight against my own family.”
Meghdad said he tried to convince his brother Peyman Jebelli, currently the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) which runs all the state TV and radio broadcasting in Iran.
“[Peyman] did grieve in sorrow like all other family members, but his view of the incident completely matched that of the regime,” Meghdad added.
“He refused to accept it was a heinous crime and that his nephew was murdered.”
The Boeing 737 flight had just taken off from from Imam Khomeini Airport and was headed to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv when the IRGC downed it.
I asked myself if should I cry in sorrow, scream in anger or fight against my own family
Meghdad Jabelli
However Iranian authorities maintained that the plane crash was an accident and was caused by “human error”.
Meghdad said: “We all were constantly watching the news reports and it was clear that the [Iranian regime] had deliberately targeted the civilian plane in which my brother was travelling.
“But after shooting down the plane with at least two missiles, the regime falsely claimed that the plane crashed due to technical issues.
“It was only after crash videos and other investigations revealed the truth that the regime was forced to admit it was a mistake, but maintained IRGC members shot it down by because they thought it was a US missile.”
Meghdad revealed he was threatened by the regime’s men on several occasions – and was asked not to speak against the Iranian government.
However, the country’s theocratic regime came under intense pressure from the international community to conduct a transparent investigation.
It was three days after the crash that the country’s IRGC came clean and said two missiles were fired at a Ukrainian airliner in a catastrophic error.
The Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace commander Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh accepted full responsibility for the blunder but said the operator who fired the missiles acted independently.
One version of Iran’s explanation to the world claimed that the guard thought the Kyiv-bound aircraft was a US missile.
Supplied Iranian defector Meghdad Jabelli told The Sun his family refused to believe that the IRGC killed his nephew[/caption]
Iran InternationalIran’s state broadcasting chief Peyman Jebelli[/caption]
Supplied Iranian hardliner politician and diplomat Saeed Jalili visiting Meghdad’s family members during the mourning (L-R Meghdad’s father, brother-in-law, Peyman, Saeed Jalili, Amin’s brother and Amin’s father)[/caption]
Reuters The fuselage was covered in what appeared to be small holes[/caption]
MIZANSmoke rises after the fireball killed all 176 people on board[/caption]
The shameful admission sparked a huge wave of hateful protests against the regime.
Ever since, families of the victims have raised multiple questions seeking a credible explanation for what they believe was an intentional act.
In 2021, a report from the United Nations read: “The inconsistencies in the official explanation and the reckless nature of the mistakes have led many, including myself, to question whether the downing of Flight PS752 was intentional.
“Iran’s multiple claims and stories create a maximum of confusion to mislead in one or more ways.”
What forced me to leave Iran was the murder of my nephew by the criminal IRGC
Meghdad Jabelli
Some of the passengers on board the doomed flight included Iran’s top scientists, scholars and graduates from elite Iranian institutions.
Families and young children were travelling on the plane.
Two newlywed couples who came to Iran for their weddings just a few days ago were killed in the tragic incident., according to a New York Times report.
Like all other families of the victims of the tragedy, Meghdad, who moved to Canada and ditched his family, is still seeking justice for his nephew.
He said: “What forced me to leave Iran was the murder of my nephew by the criminal IRGC.
“My sadness is shared by all the families who lost their loved ones in the tragedy.
“We have not been able to grieve truly and we won’t be able to mourn the loss of our family members until justice is served.
“The real justice and accountability can only be achieved by overthrowing the regime.”
Getty A child’s book lies among the wreckage strewn across the ground[/caption]
AFPThe scorched crash site is seen from the air after the plane slammed into the ground[/caption]
ReutersA woman fights back tears as she waits for news at Kiev Airport[/caption]
Tearful relatives were seen at the airport in Ukraine where the plane was due to land
OUT OF THE SKY
The Boeing 737-800 came down hours after Iran launched a barrage of rockets against US targets in Iraq.
It was then found that Iran’s jittery air defence troops targeted the plane by mistake.
According to the US government records, satellite data detected two surface-to-air missiles being launched just minutes after the Boeing 737 took off.
Footage showed at least one of the rockets streaking across the night sky in Tehran – before the jet exploded in a fireball.
Analysis of the footage revealed the explosion took place near the last known position of the Ukraine International Airlines plane over Parand, southwest of Tehran.
It showed a bright object moving through the sky before apparently colliding with another object mid-air, causing an explosion.
A brighter streak was seen moving in a different direction – believed to be the flaming wreck of the plane after impact.
An earlier video taken from the security camera on a house showed a huge explosion on the ground and debris flying past the camera.
Pentagon and Iraqi officials had earlier said they believed the plane had been downed by a missile.
Reports said radar data showed two Russian-made SA-15 missiles – also known as Tor-M1 – were launched just before contact with the jet was lost.
Russia delivered 29 Tor-M1s to Iran in 2007 as part of a $700million contract signed in December 2005. Iran has displayed the missiles in military parades.
But Iran continued to deny it shot the plane down.
Government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on state TV: “All these reports are a psychological warfare against Iran.
“All those countries whose citizens were aboard the plane can send representatives and we urge Boeing to send its representative to join the process of investigating the black box.”
Rescuers at the scene moments after the crash in Tehran
AFPBurning wreckage is seen strewn across the ground in the immediate aftermath[/caption]
APSmall charred parts of the plane were found on the ground[/caption]
AFPRescue teams examine what appears to be the wheel of the airliner in the wreckage[/caption]
BLACK BOX
After searching through the crash site for days, the plane’s black boxes were recovered, but Iran initially refused to hand them over to international authorities.
Iranian officials reported that could retrieve only 19 seconds of conversation after the missiles hit the plane.
However, they did not reveal any details of the cockpit conversation that was retrieved.
Iranian media said the Boeing 737 came down after “technical problems” and quoted an aviation chief who said no emergency had been declared.
Qassem Biniaz, a spokesman for Iran’s Road and Transportation Authority, claimed one of its engines caught fire, causing the pilot to lose control.
But the aircraft was new in 2016 and was last checked just two days ago, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.
Jet engine maker CFM slammed claims the crash was caused by engine failure, saying it was too early to speculate on what was behind the tragedy.
Ukraine’s Tehran embassy initially blamed engine failure but later removed the statement, saying it could not officially comment on the cause until after a probe.
It also abruptly removed a line from its statement excluding a terrorist attack or missile strike.
The plane’s black box flight recorder was pictured on Iranian TV
SHAMED ADMISSION
However, after repeated denials, then President Rouhani admitted his forces gunned down the civilian aircraft because they mistook it for an American fighter plane.
The Iranian military apologised for the disaster, promising to upgrade their systems to prevent such mistakes in the future.
Within hours of the shocking admission, furious crowds took to the streets of the Iranian capital to demand Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei step down.
Vigils for Iranian lives lost in Tuesday’s fatal crash turned angry as protesters hit out at the military blunder.
Riot cops flooded in with tear gas as they tried to break up the large groups outside Amirkabir University, who demanded justice.
In 2023, a court in Tehran convicted 10 military soldiers claiming they were involved in the “unintentional” downing of the Kyiv-bound plane due to “human error”.
One commander was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
However, the victims’ families dubbed the court sentence as a “sham ruling”, claiming the blame was pinned on 10 low-ranking IRGC officers.
They believe Iran failed to prosecute the real perpetrators of the crime and never offered a credible explanation as to why the plane was shot down.
Plane crashes in Iran hours after missile barrage
3am – Iran announced it had fired ballistic missiles as two US army bases in Iraq in what they said was an ‘act of self-defense’
6am – Iranian state TV claimed that 80 ‘American terrorists’ were killed during the bombing but President Trump responded with a tweet saying: “All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good!”
6.15am – Flight PS752 takes off from Tehran Airport but crashed shortly after departure
8.30am – All 176 people on board a Ukrainian commercial airliner that crashed after take-off from Tehran are confirmed dead by an Iranian emergency official
10.30am – Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemns missile strikes on Iraqi military bases and urges Iran ‘not to repeat these reckless and dangerous attacks’
12pm – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko confirms three British nationals were on board the doomed flight
