"Iran admitting that its military personnel had mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, killing 176 people, including dozens of its own citizens, was the only possible solution, rationally speaking, as the grim truth would have soon been revealed anyway," Paet said in a press release.

The culprits would now be held accountable, however this would not bring back those who have died, he added.

"These 176 passengers, who had nothing to do with the confrontation between the United States and Iran, are the most direct civilian casualties of the recent surge in tensions between the two countries," Paet continued.

"Russia would do well to learn from Iran's admission, as it has thus far evaded the same course of action in connection with downing a Malaysian passenger jet in 2014, despite the fact that the investigation has reached clear conclusions," the MEP said. "It would at least be fair to the victims and their next of kin."

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (PS752) crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport for Kyiv on Wednesday, killing all 176 passengers and crew on board.

In a departure from prior rejections of blame, Iran has recently admitted to "unintentionally" shooting down the plane, with President Hassan Rouhani, calling the crash an "unforgivable mistake," stating that an investigation had found that "missiles fired due to human error" were to blame for the downing, the BBC and other sources reported.

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