Iran filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom on April 17, seeking to overturn a ruling by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that held Tehran responsible for the 2020 downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet.
In its complaint, Iran argues that the ICAO Council exceeded its authority when it accepted a joint complaint from the four countries, whose citizens were among the 176 people killed when Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was shot down near Tehran in 2020.
The case stems from Jan. 8, 2024, when Ukraine and its partners initiated proceedings at ICAO, demanding that Iran be held fully accountable under international aviation law. On March 17, 2025, the ICAO Council rejected Iran’s objections and ruled it had jurisdiction to hear the case.
Now appealing that decision, Tehran maintains the shootdown was an “unintentional” act caused by “human error” during a period of “heightened military alert.”
In its filing, Tehran argues that the ICAO Council overstepped its jurisdiction and improperly accepted the case. Iran claims that under Article 84 of the Chicago Convention – the international agreement that governs civil aviation and established ICAO – the Council had no authority to act because the involved states failed to engage in adequate direct negotiations with Tehran before submitting their complaint. According to Iran, this procedural step is required before such disputes can be brought to the Council.
“In any event, any negotiations concerning the interpretation and application of Article 3 bis had not been pursued in good faith, let alone reached a point of futility or deadlock,” the submission states.
Iran also challenges the U.K.’s role in the case, claiming London failed to provide sufficient evidence that British citizens were aboard the flight.
In its ICJ filing, Iran asks the court to overturn the ICAO ruling and declare that the Council lacks jurisdiction over the matter.
On Jan. 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was shot down minutes after takeoff from Tehran by two surface-to-air missiles launched by Iran’s air defense forces. The tragedy claimed the lives of all 176 people on board, including citizens of Iran, Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the U.K.
Iran initially denied responsibility, blaming mechanical failure. Days later, it acknowledged the aircraft was mistakenly targeted amid tensions with the U.S., hours after Iran had launched missile strikes on U.S. forces in Iraq.
At the same time, Iranian authorities did not allow an independent investigation to take place at the crash site.
In April 2023, an Iranian court sentenced 10 military personnel over the incident. However, the International Coordination and Response Group, representing the victims’ countries, dismissed the trial as a “sham.”
On July 4, 2023, Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the UK filed a case at the ICJ, accusing Iran of violating Article 3 bis of the Chicago Convention, which prohibits the use of weapons against civilian aircraft. Iran has rejected the case as politically motivated and continues to dispute the jurisdiction of both ICAO and the ICJ.
Gyunduz Mamedov
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