Rouhani apologizes to Zelensky for downing Ukrainian jet

KIEV, Jan 11 (MENA) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the tragic downing of a Ukrainian passenger airliner in Iran and apologized on behalf of his country, Russia Today reported on Saturday.

Rouhani expressed his condolences to the Ukrainian people as well as to the relatives of the victims, the Ukrainian president’s office said in a statement.

"[Rouhani] apologized on behalf of Iran for the tragedy that took the lives of 176 people. The head of the Islamic Republic also fully acknowledged that the tragedy was caused by the erroneous actions of his country’s military."

Tehran also vowed to lend "all the necessary assistance" to the Ukrainian expert group investigating the case and promised to bring all those responsible to justice.

Zelensky welcomed the admission of guilt by Iran and said that it paved the way for further investigation of the matter "without any delays."

He also said that he expects Iran to "fully cooperate" with Ukraine "in accordance with international law."