‘I can’t express the anger I feel,’ Iranian-Canadian says of news Iran likely shot down plane

Payman Parseyan is urging Canada to take a hard line against Iran

Payman Parseyan says he’s filled with anger at the news his home country’s government is believed to be responsible for the deadly plane crash that killed several of his friends.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Thursday that Canada has intelligence from multiple sources that indicates an Iranian surface-to-air missile shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed after takeoff in Tehran on Wednesday. He said it may have been unintentional.

Iranian officials have denied the allegation. Ali Abedzadeh, the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, called it “illogical” and “impossible,” the semi-official ISNA News Agency reported.

All 176 people on the flight died. Of those, 138 were bound for Canada, 63 were Canadian citizens, and at least 31 were Albertans.