TEHRAN, IRAN — Iran's military on Saturday admitted that its air defense system had shot down Ukraine's Flight 752 by mistake.<br /><br />Citing Iranian official statements, the New York Times said the passenger jet had been misidentified as a U.S. cruise missile.<br /><br />The New York Times reports that the Tor is a mobile system carrying eight missiles, that can be operated without input from other air defense infrastructure.<br /><br />Citing defense analyst Steven Zaloga, Bloomberg reports that the missile's guidance system is unable to distinguish cruise missiles from military aircraft or civilian airplanes.<br /><br />Citing FlightRadar24, Bloomberg reports that the Boeing 737 made a slight right turn two minutes after its takeoff from Tehran International Airport, which was normal.<br /><br />The plane was clearly transmitting its identity and position until it climbed to about 7,900 feet of altitude, presumably because it was hit by missile fire."<br /><br />The plane plunged into a field in between the cities of Parand and Shariar. All 176 passengers and crew were killed.<br /><br />Due to the Tor's indiscriminate guidance system, most nations do not operate the weapon without connecting it into a command structure.<br /><br />Bloomberg reports that according to Zaloga, SA-15 operators were not supposed to fire without authorization.