US VS IRAN :Bad news as 180 passengers killed as Ukranian plane crashes in Iran shortly after takeoff

A passenger plane carrying 180 people crashed in Iran shortly after takeoff Wednesday morning, killing all on board, according to Iran officials.

"An investigation team from the national aviation department was dispatched to the location after the news was announced," spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh of the Iranian Aviation Organization said in a statement.

The crash occurred hours after Iran fired multiple missiles into Iraq, targeting U.S. military sites in what appeared to be retaliation for the recent American drone strike that killed one of its top generals.

Though a video purportedly of the crash circulated by the ISNA news agency showed the aircraft burning as it fell from the sky, early indications suggested the crash did not appear to have links to Wednesday morning’s missile strikes on bases in Iraq hosting US and coalition troops.

Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran’s Emergency Medical Services said emergency crew members have been dispatched to the crash site but couldn’t assist because the area is currently ablaze.

The airplane which crashed has reportedly been in service for about three and half years according to flight-tracking service FlightRadar 24.

It is also believed that the Boeing 737 airplane belongs to the same family as the 737 Max 8 aircraft, which has been grounded since suffering two fatal crashes within six months in Indonesia and Ethiopia.