US confirms fighter jet flew close to Iranian passenger plane for inspection

CNN ^ | July 23, 2020 | Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr, Jennifer Hauser and Paul LeBlanc

[BenLurkin]

The US military on Thursday confirmed that one of its fighter jets had flown within a few thousand feet of an Iranian commercial aircraft over Syria to "inspect it," after Iranian state media released videos showing apparently shaken and injured passengers.

A US F-15 conducted a "standard visual inspection" of the privately owned Iranian jetliner at a close distance of about 1,000 meters (some 3,300 feet), a spokesman for Central Command, the US military command responsible for the Middle East, said in a statement.

The US statement came after Iranian state media Press TV reported that fighter jets had conducted "dangerous" maneuvers close to an Iranian passenger plane.

Several passengers were injured in the incident, according to Press TV. The Mahan Air flight was flying from Tehran to Beirut, state media reports.

Iranian national broadcaster IRIB described the US maneuvering as a "provocative" action that had forced the passenger plane's pilot to abruptly lower altitude.

A defense official told CNN there were two US F-15's in the air, but that only one was sent to make the visual identification.

The CENTCOM spokesman said the inspection had occurred near a garrison used by the US-led coalition fighting ISIS, At Tanf, a small outpost in Syria near the Iraqi-Jordanian border that has been the scene of clashes between US and pro-regime and Iranian forces.

[BiteYourSelf]

One kilometer aka six tenths of a mile.

[clearcarbon]

If passengers were injured the cockpit probably needed a lot of cleaning and sanitizing after the plane landed.

[BobL]

“Several passengers were injured in the incident, according to Press TV. The Mahan Air flight was flying from Tehran to Beirut, state media reports.”

Arms shipment...glad we let them know we’re watching.