TEHRAN - A passenger, who was on board the Mahan Air Flight 1152, has sustained a spinal cord injury during the U.S. fighter jets’ harassment of the Iranian plane over Syria, the Tasnim news agency reported.

“The situation of this wounded person has been stabilized, but the severity of his injuries remains high,” the agency quoted the director of Beirut’s al-Rasoul al-Aazam Hospital as saying.

The director also said that three wounded persons have been treated for broken legs and hands, but the condition of the person who sustained spinal cord injury is not well.

Two U.S. fighter jets conducted dangerous maneuvering near Mahan Air’s passenger plane over Syria on Thursday, forcing the pilot to suddenly lower the altitude, a move that shocked the passengers on board and led to many injuries. Iran has strongly condemned the U.S. move, calling it an “act of terror.”

The U.S. Central Command claimed in a statement that a U.S. fighter jet was on a mission of conducting a “visual inspection” of the Iranian plane when it passed near At Tanf garrison in Syria.

“Once the F-15 pilot identified the aircraft as a Mahan Air passenger plane, the F-15 safely opened distance from the aircraft,” Bill Urban, the spokesman for the U.S. central Command, claimed. However, Iran firmly rejected the claim, saying that the U.S. maneuvering is not acceptable.

SKM/PA