TEHRAN – The Office for the Protection of the Interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Cairo has said in a tweet that the world is witnessing the United States’ international and moral decline.

“The United States’ fighter jets harassed Iranian passenger airline in the Syrian sky. A country which was once a superpower harasses a passenger airline. We are witnessing international and moral decline of the United States,” said the tweet, ISNA reported on Saturday.

The U.S. warplanes conducted aggressive maneuvering close to the Beirut-bound Iranian passenger airplane on Thursday. The incident involved two warplanes and Mahan Air’s Flight 1152 which had taken off from Tehran and was en route to the Lebanese capital.

‘Harassing Iranian airline violates intl. law’

Also in a tweet on Friday, Iran’s embassy in Japan said that the U.S. harassment of the Iranian passenger plane violates international law.

“The United States’ action in harassing the Iranian Mahan airline in a third country is clear violation of international law and can be pursued in related international bodies,” said the tweet.

In a statement on Thursday night, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Iran will take the necessary political and legal actions once the investigation is completed.

Laya Joneidi, the presidential aide for legal affairs, has also said the action against the passenger plane is a violation of the principles of international law.

She said the actions taken by the U.S. fighters are a violation of Articles 3 and 44 of the International Civil Aviation Convention (Chicago Convention).

According to Joneidi, the explanations provided so far are unjustified and unconvincing, so the actions taken by the fighters will cause the international responsibility of their respective governments and will lead to legal action by Iran, including in the ICAO Council and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

NA