De-Coding Iranian Reticent Resistance

"Iranians are trying to make a political point that Canada really doesn't have a big political interest in this since it was mostly 'Iranians' who were killed."
"It's sickening for them to play this card in these circumstances when families are grieving, but it's what they do."
Dennis Horak, last Canadian Ambassador in Tehran, Iran

"[Iran had been] co-operating with foreign experts in the investigation to date."
"[But it is] imperative that Iran allow for a thorough and credible international safety investigation into the causes of the crash [and that it] assume full responsibility, including by providing compensation."
"[Iran must] move the black boxes to a facility with all of the technology and expertise required to quickly and reliably download and analyze the data without delay [as prescribed by international conventions]."
Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan and the UK

Iran's armed forces purchased the Tor-M1 missile systems from Russia  Reuters

"If they're buried in Iran, it's only going to strengthen the Iranians' argument that they're really just Iranian citizens and they're not dual citizens."
"[In Islam] not burying the body is considered torture of the soul."
"For some families, they may be stuck with the pressure to please bury the body because to retrieve [sic] it to Canada may take more hurdles, and that's not good for the soul of the deceased person."
Bessma Momani, Middle East expert, University of Waterloo

The first repatriated body of a Canadian citizen of the 57 who died in the horrific downing of the Ukraine International Airlines jet after takeoff from Tehran Airport resulting the total death count of all aboard --176 -- has been returned to Canada for burial. The government of Canada has spoken with urgency to Iranian authorities of the need to respect the wishes of Canadian Iranian family members who have expressed their wish that their deceased family member be returned to Canada for burial.

According to authorities, a number of the victims' remains from the plane attack have been buried in Iran, in accord with their family's wishes for a speedy burial as is ordained by Islamic burial rites. Iran has stated it will not recognize the issue of dual citizenship; anyone born in Iran is Iranian, and Iranian exclusively. Iran is not the first nor the only Middle East country refusing to give credence to dual citizenship; it gives them a freer hand in handling their 'citizens' when they return briefly to reunite with family members.

In the instance of the deliberate attack on a civilian passenger jet and the demand by the countries whose nationals were involved; Ukraine, Canada, Afghanistan, the UK and Sweden that financial compensation must be paid by the Islamic Republic to the expatriate dual citizens, the stance of recognizing only Iranian citizenship has a second defined purpose. Refusal to pay compensation based on refusal of recognition of citizenship other than Iranian.

As far as Iran is concerned, only the children aboard who had been born outside of Iran and who were killed on that fated flight, can be considered by them to be non-Iranian citizens. Iran has assured and reassured the countries whose citizens were killed that it would respect the families' wishes, but it has neatly diminished the number of family 'wishes' it will feel obligated to 'respect'. Based on passports, according to Iran's aviation authority only five Canadian nationals were aboard the jetliner.

Ukraine and other countries want Iran to turn over the flight recorders Reuters

As for the release of the black boxes for full investigation of the shooting down of the Ukrainian jet, Iran initially agreed that since it lacks the technical apparatus and the experience to properly lead and interpret the investigation it would release them, as recommended by consensus by the involved five countries, to France for analysis. And then it recanted, claiming its investigators would themselves conduct the required investigation.

At the same time, the report issued by the  Civil Aviation Organization of Iran made it abundantly clear that Iranian investigators had found it "impossible" to read the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders - commonly known as the "black boxes" - because they were too technically advanced for their limited investigation capabilities.

"If the appropriate supplies and equipment are provided, the information can be taken out and reconstructed in a short period of time", Iran's Civil Aviation Organization stated in its Monday release of the second preliminary report. In its great wisdom and need to retain control of the situation, Iran has asked authorities in the U.S. and France to forward to them equipment to enable them to download information from the flight recorders.

That same preliminary report on flight PS752, is where the CAOI identified the surface-to-air missiles fired at flight PS752 as coming from a Tor-M1 system, which NATO identifies as the SA-15 "Gauntlet". The report also stated that "the impact of these [two] missiles on the accident and the analysis of this action is under investigation". Ignoring completely the security camera footage suggesting  the plane was struck by two missiles within 23 seconds, shortly after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport.