AMN
A Ukrainian airplane carrying 180 passengers and crew crashed today near an airport in Tehran, Iranian State TV reported. There was no immediate word on casualties.
According to the report, the plane had taken off from Imam Khomeini International Airport.
The crash is suspected to have been caused by mechanical issues, it added, without elaborating.
An investigation team was at the site of the crash in southwestern outskirts of Tehran, Civil Aviation Spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh said.
Flight data from the airport showed a Ukrainian 737-800 flown by Ukraine International Airlines took off this morning, then stopped sending data almost immediately afterwards, according to website Flight Radar24.
The airline did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The crash came hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack targeting two bases in Iraq housing US forces in retaliation for the killing of Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani.