Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is facing sharp criticism after suggesting the innocent civilians killed in a plane crash shot down by Iran’s military died in a ‘unwanted tit for tat’ between Washington and Tehran.
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, made the controversial statement on Twitter after reports revealed the downed Ukrainian aircraft was mistakenly shot after it was thought to be a U.S. bomber by Iran.
He wrote: ‘Innocent civilians are now dead because they were caught in the middle of an unnecessary and unwanted military tit for tat.’
‘My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of all 176 souls lost aboard this flight,’ he added.
Pete Buttigieg addressed the Ukrainian plane crash, saying: ‘Innocent civilians are now dead because they were caught in the middle of an unnecessary and unwanted military tit for tat’
The tweet quickly gained traction on social media as a wave of conservative critics blasted Buttigieg for apparently arguing that the U.S. was also to blame for the tragedy.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz responded to Buttigieg, saying that Iran’s ‘military incompetence’ caused the incident.
‘Uh, Pete, they weren’t “caught in the middle.” They were shot down BY IRAN. Military incompetence by the leading state sponsor of terrorism,’ he wrote.
‘Just because Dems hate Trump doesn’t justify false equivalence w/ Iran. Soleimani was a brutal terrorist who killed hundreds of Americans.’
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz responded to Buttigieg on Twitter and blasted him for suggesting America played a role in the plane crash
French: ‘Iran launched a missile strike against our own troops, and then blundered by shooting down a civilian airliner when it wasn’t even under attack. That’s the story. This is on Iran’
Dana Loesch, a former NRA spokeswoman, joined several other conservatives in condemning Buttigieg’s tweet
Conservative columnist David French also weight in by tweeting, ‘Nope. Nope. Nope.’
‘Iran launched a missile strike against our own troops, and then blundered by shooting down a civilian airliner when it wasn’t even under attack. That’s the story. This is on Iran,’ he said.
Former NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch said: ‘The I, R, A, and N keys must be missing from his keyboard.’
Buttigieg (pictured) is a Democratic presidential hopeful running against several other candidates
Jerry Dunleavy, a reporter for Washington Examiner, maintained ‘there was no crossfire.’
‘If reports are true, it means an airliner full of hundreds of people was shot down by Iran just after Iran launched strikes against Iraqi bases housing U.S. service members,’ he said.
‘The U.S. didn’t fire back then or since. No crossfire— only Iran fired that night.’
The managing editor for NewsBusters, Curtis Houck, said: ‘If running for president doesn’t work, Mr. Mayor, you should apply to be a host, correspondent, or even president of Iranian state-run @PressTV.’
Jerry Dunleavy, a reporter for Washington Examiner, said: ‘The U.S. didn’t fire back then or since. No crossfire— only Iran fired that night’
Curtis Houck took a jab at Buttigieg by suggesting he could apply for a job for PressTV, Iran’s international news network
On Tuesday, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashed outside of Iran’s capital, killing all 176 people on board.
The plane was carrying 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukranians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons.
After speculation, U.S. officials are ‘confident’ that airliner was shot down by Iran after detecting two missile launches.
Rescue workers sift through the plane’s wreckage after a crash killed all 176 passengers and crew on board
Pictured: part of the Boeing 737-800’s wreckage after it crashed outside of Tehran on Wednesday
Pentagon officials said that the missile launch was most likely an error made by crews looking for a U.S. response to airstrikes made against American bases in Iraq hours earlier.
The plane, a Boeing 737-800 leaving Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport to Kyiv’s Boryspil International Airport, was struck shortly after takeoff.
President Donald Trump issued a response to reporters at the White House after the crash.
‘It was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood. Somebody could have made a mistake. I have a feeling that something very terrible happened, very devastating,’ he said.
President Donald Trump (pictured): ‘It was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood. Somebody could have made a mistake. I have a feeling that something very terrible happened, very devastating’
Video of the crash show the Boeing 737 flying through the night sky when it suddenly explodes into flames before falling to the ground several feet below.
Iran officials say the plane was not shot down, but instead suffered a technical malfunction mid-air.
‘The plane, which was initially headed west to leave the airport zone, turned right following a problem and was headed back to the airport at the moment of the crash,’ the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization says.
‘The plane disappeared from radar screens the moment it reached 8,000 feet. The pilot sent no radio message about the unusual circumstances.’
‘According to eyewitnesses, a fire was seen on board the plane which grew in intensity.’
This latest missile launch in the Middle East has stoked fears amid skyrocketing tensions between Iran and the U.S.
Members of the International Red Crescent collect bodies of victims around the wreckage after an Ukraine International Airlines jet crashed in Iran yesterday
Rescue crews search the site of the Ukrainian plane crash after U.S. officials believe it was mistakenly shot down by Iranian military
An airstrike killed a top Iranian military leader, Qassem Soleimani, on January 3.
Soleimani was killed by missiles outside Baghdad’s International Airport around 12.03am local time after arriving from Syria.
Trump said in a press conference that Soleimani was killed to prevent a war, adding that the commander was plotting ‘imminent and sinister’ attacks against Americans.
The general was the architect of Iran’s shadow warfare and military expansion in the Middle East
‘We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war,’ the president said in brief remarks at Mar-a-Lago on Friday.
Iranian officials and Soleimani’s supporters have since vowed vengeance for the military leader’s death.
President Hassan Rouhani said the U.S. has made a ‘grave mistake’ for by killing the leader of Iran’s Quds force and will face consequences for years to come.
Rouhani has said that Iran has the right to seek revenge, saying that that retaliation will come when the ‘dirty hands of the US’ are removed from the region indefinitely.
‘The Americans did not realize what a grave mistake they have made. They will suffer the consequences of such criminal measure not only today, but also throughout the years to come,’ Rouhani said.
‘This crime committed by the US will go down in history as one of their unforgettable crimes against the Iranian nation.’
The President of Iran has issued a chilling warning that the U.S. made a ‘grave mistake’ by killing the leader of Iran’s Quds force, Qassem Soleimani, in an airstrike and that it will face consequences for years to come
Ayatollah Khamenei (left) lashed out at Iran’s enemies in a Saturday morning tweet, calling the Trump administration ‘villainous’
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatolla Ali Khamenei visited Soleimani’s family on Friday evening where he said the airstrike that killed the architect of the country’s infamous militia was ‘villainous’.
He also warned Iran’s ‘enemies’ that the Jihad of Resistance’ supposed victory will be ‘bitter.’
Trump: ‘we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!’
He wrote on Twitter: ‘All friends—& enemies—know that Jihad of Resistance will continue with more motivation & definite victory awaits the fighters on this blessed path. The loss of our dear General is bitter. The continuing fight & ultimate victory will be more bitter for the murderers & criminals.’
After an Iranian official said that at least 35 U.S. targets, including warships and Tel Aviv, have been identified for retaliatory strikes, Trump fired back on Twitter.
‘We have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!’
Trump has since said that Iran appears to be ‘standing down.’