"The black box sustained noticeable damage. We asked the defence industry to assist in its reconstruction", Amir Hatami was quoted as saying by Borna, an Iranian news agency.
The Ukraine International plane with 176 passengers and crew was accidentally struck by an Iranian missile in January. Everyone aboard was killed, many of them Iranians and Canadians.
Iranian Defence Chief Says Black Box of Downed Ukrainian Jet Noticeably Damaged
© Sputnik / Iranian Red Crescent Society
/ Iran confessed to having mistakenly shot down the plane as it prepared to fend off US strikes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. The air disaster followed a US drone attack in Iraq that killed Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Quds Force. According to Tehran, the person, responsible for the downing of the passenger plane, was jailed soon afterwards.