PS-752 had 15 different lights, steady and strobe, some very high power, and all illuminated when it was hit at 8,000 feet. It could have been identified by the naked eye as a civilian plane, even from a dozen km away.
The “accident” story is a lie. And whoever tells it, whoever they may be, is lying. For whatever reason. And you know, I know, from long years of experience, that the most common reason you lie, or I lie, or anybody else lies, is because either we have done something wrong, or we are trying to trick somebody. Not always, but almost always. What other reason could there be? What could the righteous reasons be for telling a lie to your nation, and to the world? There may well be some. Or not. [—] Iranian elites may have made a deal to submit to U.S. pressure and hegemony, and betray Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and above all, their own country.