MOSCOW. Jan 10 (Interfax) - It is premature to say that a missile downed the Ukrainian plane in Tehran, Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee First Deputy Chairman Vladimir Dzhabarov told Interfax on Friday.
"One should be careful about conclusions. The Iranians have invited the Ukrainian side to join the investigation. If they [Iran] know that they downed [the plane], why would that do that?" Dzhabarov said, commenting on the theory that the Ukrainian plane might have been downed by a Russian-made missile.
"We should wait until the investigative commission makes a formal statement," he said.
As to what line of investigation could be a priority, in his opinion, Dzhabarov said, "Judging by the initial statements, it was a mechanical malfunction, but it is hard to draw any conclusions as of yet."
He also denied the possibility of the so-called "Russian trace" in the plane crash.
"There cannot be any Russian trace in the crash a priori. If it was actually a missile, it could have been made in any country. Say, for instance, it was a Pershing missile. That would not mean that the Boeing was downed by the Americans," Dzhabarov said.
As reported earlier, a Boeing 737-800 operated by UIA and travelling from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after takeoff from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran early on Wednesday morning, killing all 167 passengers and 9 crewmembers onboard.
The fatalities included 11 citizens of Ukraine (two passengers and nine crewmembers), 82 citizens of Iran, 63 of Canada, ten of Sweden, four of Afghanistan, and three citizens each of Germany and the United Kingdom.