Press anger over Iran plan crash

BBC News:

Newspapers in Iran are both angry and cynical about the plane crash in Tehran on Tuesday in which over 100 people died.

Commentators are scathing about the lack of adequate safety checks said to be a widespread issue in Iran. The fact that many journalists were among the dead adds piquancy to their comments. READ MORE

The moderate Mardom-Salari is convinced that nobody will be called to account for the accident.

"It is impossible for a plane to be checked technically before its flight in this country so that it doesn't fly if there is a problem.

"The incineration of 130 people won't change anything in the country... we have made representations on more than 10 occasions and basically no-one listens to us."

According to the reformist Sharq, "the people are fed up with all of this bad news, they are fed up with so many air crashes".

The conservative Hamshahri says officials should be called to account over the fact that so many journalists were allowed to travel together on "an old aeroplane".

It also points out that "the aforementioned aeroplane had requested an emergency landing twice yesterday and the control tower didn't issue landing permission".

The hard-line Keyhan calls on the authorities to investigate whether there was "negligence or blame involved in issuing a flight permit for that iron bird... the iron bird that took our friends on a flight of no return".

Iran News believes that "each human life is precious and the government must do everything in its power to protect the life of its citizens.

"Therefore, in order to prevent another such incident, flights to and from Mehrabad [airport] should be cut back to an absolute minimum."

US blamed

Iran Daily laments the death of so many journalist colleagues under the headline "condolences".

"One of the worst tragedies befell our compatriots and dear colleagues on Tuesday. Tens of our colleagues from different news agencies and the print and broadcast media lost their lives in the heart-wrenching military plane crash in south Tehran."

"Iran Daily expresses its profound grief on this distressing occasion. We pray the Lord grant their families courage and patience to bear this great loss. May their souls rest in peace."

Tehran Times quotes military officials as placing the blame outside the country.
"The main cause of the crash of the aging US-built C-130 was the fact that the United States has placed sanctions on the Islamic Republic banning the sale of airplane spare parts to Iran."