Iran has filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice to challenge the decision of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which agreed to consider on the merits a complaint by Ukraine, Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom against Tehran over the shooting down of a UIA plane in 2020.
This became known from Iranʼs lawsuit to the UN International Court of Justice.
Iran says it disagrees with the ICAO Councilʼs decision that the case falls under its jurisdiction. It believes the Council had no right to consider the case at all because Ukraine (and the rest of the countries) filed the complaint without holding proper direct negotiations with Tehran, as required by Article 84 of the Chicago Convention, which the countries cited in their lawsuit.
In its application to the International Court of Justice, Tehran said its military shot down flight PS752 "inadvertently and due to human error".
Tehran added that its military was in a "state of heightened combat readiness [...] in anticipation of a possible attack by US military forces".
What preceded
Iranʼs lawsuit to the International Court of Justice was preceded by the fact that on March 17, 2025, the ICAO Council in Montreal discussed whether it had the right to consider the dispute filed by the countries whose citizens died in the crash of flight PS752. Ukraine, Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom accuse Iran of violating the Chicago Convention after Iran shot down the plane on January 8, 2020.
The Coordination Groupʼs main claim is that Iran violated the Chicago Convention by shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 on January 8, 2020. Iran attempted to challenge ICAOʼs jurisdiction to avoid liability, but the ICAO Council, after a secret vote, decided that it had the authority to consider the dispute.
The panel determined that Iran violated Article 3 bis of the Chicago Convention, which prohibits the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight, which is within the authority of ICAO. Therefore, the case moves to the merits stage.
UIA disaster
On January 8, 2020, UIA passenger flight PS752 was shot down by two air defense missiles after takeoff in the Iranian capital. All 176 people on board were killed, including 11 Ukrainian citizens — two passengers and 9 crew members. Also killed were 82 Iranian citizens, 63 Canadians, 10 Swedish citizens, 4 Afghan citizens, and 3 German and 3 British citizens.
A few days later, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the plane. US and EU intelligence agencies reported on January 9 that the military was to blame for the tragedy. Ukrainian authorities claimed responsibility for Iran on January 11.
On March 17, 2021, Iran released its final report on the plane crash. Ukraine called it cynical and manipulative. In January 2022, the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office named the alleged perpetrators of the crime.
In April 2023, an Iranian court sentenced ten military personnel for shooting down the plane, but the International Coordination Group called the trial a "sham".
On July 4, Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and Britain filed a lawsuit against Iran at the International Court of Justice. Iran called the lawsuit "political".
Iran refused to admit responsibility and ignored the international groupʼs claims.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.