Iran’s Foreign Ministry has set up a consular task force to help families of victims of a Ukrainian plane crash on January 8 near Tehran, Tasnim reported.

Spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Abbas Musavi issued a statement and expressed deep regret over the deaths of Ukrainian plane passengers flying from Tehran to Kyiv and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.

“Under emphatic orders from the honorable President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and following the honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs’ emphasis on immediate handling of the consular affairs relating to the victims, a special task force has been formed in the (Foreign) Ministry’s Parliamentary and Iranians’ Affairs Department, tasked with dealing with requests from the families of victims and providing the necessary services,” the spokesman said. “Moreover, the necessary orders have been given to all political and consular missions of the Islamic Republic of Iran and to the domestic and airport offices to handle the requests relating to this matter extraordinarily,” Mousavi noted.