"...While Russia remains in denial over MH17, Iran’s attempts to escape responsibility soon ran aground due to the circumstances of the tragedy. Unlike the situation in eastern Ukraine five years ago, flight PS752 was hit while flying through airspace that was under intense surveillance by Western intelligence agencies due to the country’s confrontation with the United States.
Crucially, during its crash to the ground and in the immediate aftermath, the Boeing was documented by Iranian citizen journalists who shared their videos and images widely. Ukrainian investigators also gained rapid access to crash site and were able to collect damning proof of a missile strike before the authorities could bulldoze the evidence.
After three days of denial, the Iranian authorities probably concluded that their position was unsustainable and admitted that the cause of the tragedy was an Iranian missile. However, in an apparent attempt to tread a fine line, they also blamed a mechanical failure in the Boeing plane and American “military adventurism.” Even with these attempts to qualify their responsibility, the Iranian authorities still managed to do something their Russian counterparts have not yet done – namely to acknowledge culpability in the downing of a civilian airliner. ..."
ICYMI