Iran challenges UN Court jurisdiction in case of downed Ukrainian Boeing plane

The Islamic Republic of Iran has raised preliminary objections to the case concerning Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, which was shot down in January 2020, according to a press release from the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Iran has disputed the Court’s jurisdiction and the admissibility of the application submitted by the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, and Ukraine, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

In response, Judge Julia Sebutinde, Vice-President of the Court and Acting President, has set May 16, 2025, as the deadline for the applicants to file written statements addressing Iran’s objections.

Let's recall that the Boeing 737-800 passenger plane on flight PS752 was en route from Tehran to Kyiv when it crashed shortly after takeoff on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew onboard. The victims included citizens of Afghanistan, the UK, Germany, Iran, Canada, Sweden, and Ukraine. Days after the incident, the Iranian military admitted to mistakenly shooting down the aircraft, claiming it had been identified as a potential “enemy target” during heightened military tensions near a sensitive facility.

The lawsuit, filed by the UK, Canada, Sweden, and Ukraine on July 4, 2023, under Article 14 of the 1971 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation, seeks justice for the victims’ families. The applicants are demanding that Iran publicly acknowledge its violation of international law, issue a formal apology, take preventive measures, prosecute those responsible, and pay compensation to the victims’ families.

Ukraine’s former foreign minister Dmitry Kuleba previously accused Tehran of attempting to obscure the true causes of the crash, despite Iran’s submission of a technical report to Kyiv on the incident.

By Khagan Isayev