Iranian President demands U.S. apology for downing Iranian airliner in 1988

TEHRAN, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani criticized on Saturday the lack of apology from the U.S. government for more than three decades for downing an Iranian airliner in 1988, official news agency IRNA reported.

"The U.S. government has to know that it committed a very big crime in the Gulf in 1988," Rouhani said in a meeting.

U.S. apologies, compensation, and an explanation about the reason why awards were given to "the killers and perpetrators of this great crime" are still expected, Rouhani noted.

On July 3, 1988, a surface-to-air missile fired from a U.S. warship stationed in the Gulf hit an Airbus A300 from Iran's capital Tehran to Dubai, killing all 290 passengers on board.

Washington claimed that its forces were acting in self-defense after having mistaken the airliner for a F-14 Tomcat jet fighter. The crew of the U.S. ship received awards at the end of their mission.