Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Hatami said “the black box has sustained considerable damage; as such, the defense industries sector was requested to help with the repairs on the black box.”
“It was decided to first complete the repairs on the black box first, and then to attempt to decode it. They are currently on the job to repair it,” the minister added.
According to a recent report by the Civil Aviation Organization of Islamic Republic of Iran (CAO.IRI), the agency has requested French and US accident investigation agencies, the BEA and NTSB, respectively, to provide a list of the equipment required to decode the black boxes and to examine the possibility of transferring them to Iran.
However, it pointed out, neither organization has “so far responded positively” to the request, adding Iran is considering the purchase of those equipment.
The Tehran-Kiev flight was unintentionally shot down by an Iranian air defense unit shortly after taking off from Tehran on January 8, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board.
The Iranian operator was reported to have mistaken the Boeing jetliner for a cruise missile.
The incident came as Iranian air defenses were at the highest level of alert following the country’s missile attacks against US bases in Iraq, which came in retaliation for Washington’s assassination of senior Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani.
MNA/IRN83680739
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