Questions remain unanswered on Iran's downing of Ukrainian plane, says Trudeau

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday (local time) said that many questions remain unanswered about the downing of the Ukraine jetliner by Iran which killed all 176 people onboard.

"Canada and the rest of the world still have many questions that must be answered. Iran's admission is an important step providing answers for the families of the victims. But I noted that many more steps must be taken," said Trudeau in press conference after speaking to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani about the downing of the plane.

He also said that a full and complete investigation must be conducted on how such a horrific tragedy could have occurred.

Earlier, Trudeau had stated that the Ukrainian airliner was shot down by Iranian surface-to-air missile, adding that the action by Tehran may be 'unintentional'.

Yesterday, Rouhani, in a statement posted on social media, admitted Tehran's role saying, "Our country deeply regrets this disastrous mistake."

Iran had denied for several days that a missile downed the aircraft, calling such suggestions "psychological warfare". But then, the US and Canada, citing intelligence, said they believed Tehran had shot down the aircraft.

The jetliner, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ukraine International Airlines, went down in the outskirts of Tehran during takeoff just hours after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at US military bases in Iraq.

The plane, en route to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries, including 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians when it was shot down.