Soviet TV Reports Attack on Jet
Soviet television reported without commentary Sunday the downing of an Iranian airliner in the Persian Gulf. The United States has admitted downing the Iran Air jetliner by mistake.
The evening news program Vremya also showed weeping relatives of passengers on the Iran Air A-300B2 Airbus waiting for news in Dubai.
The Soviet news bulletin was broadcast at about the same time that President Reagan acknowledged that a U.S. warship had shot down the Iranian airliner in error while taking defensive action.
The Soviet report did not include Reagan’s statement. The news reader quoted allegations by Iranian officials that U.S. forces had shot down the civilian airliner and earlier statements by U.S. officials denying it.
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