US strike hits India-bound aircraft at Mashhad airport, Iran calls it war crime

The plane was stationed at Mashhad International Airport when it was struck during the reported airstrike, disrupting the planned aid operation. The aircraft was expected to be part of efforts linked to ongoing humanitarian coordination between India and Iran.

In Short

• Plane was on humanitarian mission carrying medicines to India
• Iran calls strike a war crime and violation of international law
• Incident disrupts India-Iran humanitarian coordination and aid logistics

An aircraft belonging to Mahan Air was reportedly struck during a United States airstrike at Mashhad International Airport in Iran, disrupting a planned humanitarian mission to India, according to Iranian sources.

The aircraft was stationed at Mashhad airport and was scheduled to fly to New Delhi in the coming days as part of an aid operation, reported ANI. It was expected to travel to India to facilitate the transport of humanitarian supplies, including medicines, back to Iran.

“Mahan Air aircraft was hit by the US in an airstrike at Mashhad Airport. The plane was scheduled to fly to Delhi for humanitarian aid,” the sources said, as quoted by ANI.

There has been no immediate confirmation from the United States on the reported strike.

The incident comes at a time when Iran has been coordinating humanitarian shipments with India. Earlier this month, New Delhi dispatched aid consignments to Iran, underlining what it described as long-standing civilisational and humanitarian ties between the two countries.

VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW: IRAN

In a strongly worded response, Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation termed the incident a “war crime” and a clear violation of international law. In a statement shared by Iran’s mission in India on X, the organisation said the aircraft was carrying medicines and medical equipment sourced from multiple countries and was engaged in a humanitarian mission.

It said targeting such a civilian aircraft constituted a “blatant violation” of international aviation regulations and ran contrary to the principles of humanitarian law.

Citing global legal frameworks, the body referred to the Chicago Convention (1944) and the Montreal Convention (1971), which classify acts endangering civilian aircraft as international criminal offences. It also invoked Article 52 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, under which attacks on civilian objects – including aircraft carrying humanitarian aid – may amount to war crimes.

The Civil Aviation Organisation called on international bodies to urgently investigate the incident, prosecute those responsible and ensure safeguards to prevent similar threats to civil aviation.

Mahan Air, one of Iran’s largest private carriers, has been under US sanctions for years, with Washington alleging links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and accusing it of transporting personnel and equipment linked to regional conflicts--a claim Tehran has consistently denied.

The reported strike adds to growing risks for civilian aircraft operating in conflict zones, with previous incidents during the ongoing war also damaging aviation infrastructure across Iran.

- Ends
With agency inputs