She'd taken three weeks off from her job in Toronto to visit her mother and sisters in Tehran. Her vacation was over, and she was heading back to Canada to her husband, Hassan Shadkhoo. Her flight was leaving from Tehran to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev early Wednesday.
"I spoke to her ... 20 minutes before the plane took off," he said Wednesday night in Toronto. She was worried about the tensions between Tehran and the United States after President Donald Trump ordered the killing of a top Iranian general last week.
"She wanted me to assure her that there wasn't going to be a war. I told her not to worry. Nothing's gonna happen," her husband told CNN's news partner CBC. "She said, 'OK. They're telling me to turn off my phone. Goodbye.' That was it."
The Kiev-bound Ukraine International Airlines flight never made it to its destination. It crashed in Tehran minutes after takeoff, killing all 176 people aboard, including Sheyda Shadkhoo and 62 other Canadians.
Hassan Shadkhoo said his wife had a premonition the plane was going down, and was worried about the people she was leaving behind. She posted a selfie on Instagram expressing her fears before she left Iran.
"She knew. Look at her face, look at the poem that she wrote," he said as he held up his phone to show the photo she posted. Then he read the words she wrote, his voice breaking.
"I'm leaving but ... what's behind me worries me," he read. "Behind me, behind me. I'm scared for the people behind me."
Hassan Shadkhoo said he's devastated and can't imagine life without his wife of 10 years. He was on his way to see his wife's relatives in Tehran on Wednesday night.
"She was an angel," he told CBC. " ... I wish I didn't exist right now."
There are conflicting reports on what caused the plane crash, and Iranian and Ukrainian officials have said they're not going to speculate.
The crash came hours after Iran fired a number of missiles at two Iraqi bases housing US troops in retaliation for the general's killing, sparking questions over the timing of the incident.
They included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British nationals, according to a tweet from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko.
Among those known to have perished in the disaster was Mehdi Eshaghian, who had previously studied at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran.
Eshaghian's school friend Ali Mazaheri told CNN that he had moved to Canada in 2018 to embark on a postgraduate degree, but had been back to Iran to visit family.
Speaking soon after news of the crash broke, Mazaheri told CNN: "We are all sad. I was crying from the morning. He was going to be 25 in a week. He was kind, humble, caring."
The pair had been friends for about a decade since meeting in their second year at Safi High School in Ishafan, where he still lives, Mazaheri said.
Eshaghian had embarked on a masters degree at McMaster Automotive Resource Center (MARC) in September 2018, according to his friend. "He then changed his program to PhD on his teacher's advice," Mazaheri said. "He was happy in Canada."
A tweet from Sharif University suggested that a further 12 former students were among the dead, but their identities are yet to be confirmed.
A spokesperson for the airline told a press conference that the plane was last checked on January 6 and there have been no complaints previously in relation to the jet.
Yevhenii Dykhne, president of Ukraine International Airlines, said in a press conference at Kiev airport that most of the dead passengers were in transit to Ukraine to connect to further flights, he said.
A spokesman for the UK's Foreign & Commonwealth Office said: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of life in the plane crash in Iran overnight. We are urgently seeking confirmation about how many British nationals were on board and will do all we can to support any families affected."
Some of the dead were apparently students at the Sharif University of Technology Association in Tehran. Siamak Aram, a board member of SUTA, told CNN: "Yes, unfortunately at least 14 Sharif Alumni died."
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Office said: "The Federal Foreign Office and our Embassy in Tehran are in close contact with the relevant authorities to determine whether there were German citizens aboard the aircraft."
The country's foreign minister Heiko Maas tweeted: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic crash of flight #PS752 that was headed from Tehran to Kyiv. At this difficult time, our thoughts go out to the friends & families of the victims."
Meanwhile a spokesman for Sweden's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) urged worried relatives to get in touch. He told CNN: "A number of Swedes have lost their lives in the aircraft crash in Iran. We are now working intensively to obtain clarity about the number of Swedes who have died."
The spokesman said it is doing this "onsite in Iran, through our embassy and at the MFA in Stockholm."
He added: "The MFA has decided to activate its crisis management organization until further notice. We urge worried relatives to call the MFA on +46 8 405 92 00. We urge Swedes in Iran to contact their relatives."
They included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British nationals, according to a tweet from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko.
Among those known to have perished in the disaster was Mehdi Eshaghian, who had previously studied at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran.
Eshaghian's school friend Ali Mazaheri told CNN that he had moved to Canada in 2018 to embark on a postgraduate degree, but had been back to Iran to visit family.
Speaking soon after news of the crash broke, Mazaheri told CNN: "We are all sad. I was crying from the morning. He was going to be 25 in a week. He was kind, humble, caring."
The pair had been friends for about a decade since meeting in their second year at Safi High School in Ishafan, where he still lives, Mazaheri said.
Eshaghian had embarked on a masters degree at McMaster Automotive Resource Center (MARC) in September 2018, according to his friend. "He then changed his program to PhD on his teacher's advice," Mazaheri said. "He was happy in Canada."
A tweet from Sharif University suggested that a further 12 former students were among the dead, but their identities are yet to be confirmed.
A spokesperson for the airline told a press conference that the plane was last checked on January 6 and there have been no complaints previously in relation to the jet.
Yevhenii Dykhne, president of Ukraine International Airlines, said in a press conference at Kiev airport that most of the dead passengers were in transit to Ukraine to connect to further flights, he said.
A spokesman for the UK's Foreign & Commonwealth Office said: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of life in the plane crash in Iran overnight. We are urgently seeking confirmation about how many British nationals were on board and will do all we can to support any families affected."
Some of the dead were apparently students at the Sharif University of Technology Association in Tehran. Siamak Aram, a board member of SUTA, told CNN: "Yes, unfortunately at least 14 Sharif Alumni died."
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Office said: "The Federal Foreign Office and our Embassy in Tehran are in close contact with the relevant authorities to determine whether there were German citizens aboard the aircraft."
The country's foreign minister Heiko Maas tweeted: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic crash of flight #PS752 that was headed from Tehran to Kyiv. At this difficult time, our thoughts go out to the friends & families of the victims."
Meanwhile a spokesman for Sweden's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) urged worried relatives to get in touch. He told CNN: "A number of Swedes have lost their lives in the aircraft crash in Iran. We are now working intensively to obtain clarity about the number of Swedes who have died."
The spokesman said it is doing this "onsite in Iran, through our embassy and at the MFA in Stockholm."
He added: "The MFA has decided to activate its crisis management organization until further notice. We urge worried relatives to call the MFA on +46 8 405 92 00. We urge Swedes in Iran to contact their relatives."
Iran will have known that US troops are normally asleep in the early hours of the morning, and the chances of inflicting casualties are lower.
It will also have known the US has a strong air defense that would likely have been on high alert. Tehran should have a grasp of how well its missiles would fare against such technology.
The missile attacks don't make sense if Tehran's goal was to really hurt US troops in large numbers -- as some had been pledging to do.
Khamenei's instruction was confusing when first reported, as the US would be bound to prevail in a straight military-to-military conflict. Was the Supreme Leader ordering an empty show of force?
The dust is still settling, and even at the best of times Iran's motivations can be opaque, but there are three possible explanations for the action.
First, that Khamenei is out of touch with what his military can achieve and overestimated the effectiveness of the strikes, which then failed. This would be surprising given his reported involvement in and knowledge of Iranian military affairs.
Second, that moderation won out, and this largely empty signal -- hitting military targets in the dead of night with a small number of missiles -- provides the off-ramp both sides might ultimately want. This would be logical, given that neither Tehran nor Washington has much to gain from a prolonged fight.
Third, it might be a bid by Iran to give the US a false sense of security -- that Iran is militarily weak and has done its worst -- while an asymmetrical and nastier response is brewed.
That would require a lot of strategic acumen from a government split between hardline and moderate wings, and would mean Tehran was relatively certain no Americans would be hurt in this missile attack.
If the attacks in Iraq are indeed the full scope of Iran's response, they carry another risk: that the Trump administration thinks its ramshackle performance over the past week has paid off, and Iran has been vanquished.
This would risk further irrational action from Washington, perhaps not just against Iran but also other enemies. It would also make Iran look weak, which might embolden Tehran's other regional adversaries.
Iran's response to the killing of Soleimani was always going to be difficult to predict. But -- even if the strikes truly are the entirety of Tehran's revenge -- few would have anticipated something so swift and so openly military-to-military.
“All is well!” and "so far, so good," President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday night after Iran launched ballistic missiles at U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq.
The president also said he would make a statement Wednesday morning.
“Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good!” the president tweeted.
All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.
There was no official word whether there had been any casualties. Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance tweeted that all of its deployed armed forces personnel are safe and accounted for after the missile attacks in Iraq.
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and full coverage of the Iran crisis
"These bases have been on high alert due to indications that the Iranian regime planned to attack our forces and interests in the region," Jonathan Hoffman, assistant to the secretary of U.S. Department of Defense for Public Affairs, said in the Pentagon statement.
The Iranian launches come less than a week after the U.S. killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of its Quds Force, in an airstrike in Iraq.
The Pentagon has described that strike, which was conducted at Trump's direction, as a "defensive action" and said that Soleimani "was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region."
Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammed Javad Zarif, tweeted that Iran “took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense” under Article 51 of the United Nations charter.
"We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression," Zarif said in the tweet.
They included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British nationals, according to a tweet from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko.
A spokesperson for the airline told a press conference that the plane was last checked on January 6 and there have been no complaints previously in relation to the jet.
Yevhenii Dykhne, president of Ukraine International Airlines, said in a press conference at Kiev airport that most of the dead passengers were in transit to Ukraine to connect to further flights, he said.
A spokesman for the UK's Foreign & Commonwealth Office said: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of life in the plane crash in Iran overnight. We are urgently seeking confirmation about how many British nationals were on board and will do all we can to support any families affected."
Some of the dead were apparently students at the Sharif University of Technology Association in Tehran. Siamak Aram, a board member of SUTA, told CNN: "Yes, unfortunately at least 14 Sharif Alumni died."
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Office said: "The Federal Foreign Office and our Embassy in Tehran are in close contact with the relevant authorities to determine whether there were German citizens aboard the aircraft."
Meanwhile a spokesman for Sweden's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) urged worried relatives to get in touch. He told CNN: "A number of Swedes have lost their lives in the aircraft crash in Iran. We are now working intensively to obtain clarity about the number of Swedes who have died."
The spokesman said it is doing this "onsite in Iran, through our embassy and at the MFA in Stockholm."
He added: "The MFA has decided to activate its crisis management organization until further notice. We urge worried relatives to call the MFA on +46 8 405 92 00. We urge Swedes in Iran to contact their relatives."
Shahedshahr, Iran — A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people crashed Wednesday just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital's main airport, killing all on board. It turned farmland on Tehran's outskirts into fields of flaming debris.
The crash of the Ukraine International Airlines aircraft came hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. Iranian officials said they suspected a mechanical issue brought down the Boeing 737-800. The Ukrainian Embassy in Tehran first posted, then deleted a website statement saying terrorism wasn't suspected.
The carrier said the plane was built in 2016 and "underwent its last planned technical maintenance" on Monday, Agence France Press (AFP) reported.
Trending News
Airline officials said most of the passengers were en route to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, transiting through there to other destinations.
Staff at the Boryspil airport in Kyiv told CBS News passengers on that flight are usually Iranian students coming back to Ukraine after winter holidays.
The plane had 167 passengers and nine crew members from different nations. Ukraine's foreign minister, Vadym Prystaiko, said there were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians on board — the Ukrainian nationals included two passengers and the nine crew. There were also 10 Swedish, four Afghan, three German and three British nationals.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy extended his condolences to the families of the victims. His office said he had cut his visit to Oman short and was returning to Kyiv because of the crash. The country's Prime Minister, Oleksiy Honcharuk, confirmed the casualty toll.
Part of the wreckage from Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, a Boeing 737-800 that crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport on January 8, 2020, is seen in this still image taken from Iran Press footage.
IRAN PRESS via Reuters
"Our task is to establish the cause of the crash of the Boeing and provide all necessary help to the families of the victims," Ukraine's parliament speaker, Dmytro Razumkov, said in a Facebook statement.
Ukraine International Airlines said it had indefinitely suspended flights to Tehran in the wake of the crash.
"It was one of the best planes we had, with an amazing, reliable crew," the airline's president, Yevhen Dykhne, said at a briefing, choking back tears. He wouldn't comment on speculation linking the crash to the Iranian missile strikes.
The carrier is privately owned and Ukraine's largest.
Initial statements by Iranian and Ukrainian authorities said a malfunction was suspected. But a statement on the Ukrainian Embassy's website saying the crash was caused by an engine problem and not terrorism was later deleted.
Zelenskiy ordered a sweeping inspection of all civil airplanes in the country, "no matter the conclusions about the crash in Iran."
The plane had been delayed from taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport by almost an hour. It took off to the west, but never made it above 8,000 feet, according to data from the flight-tracking website FlightRadar24.
It remains unclear what happened. Qassem Biniaz, a spokesman for Iran's Road and Transportation Ministry, said it appeared one of its engines caught fire. The pilot then lost control of the plane, sending it crashing into the ground, Biniaz said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
Hassan Razaeifar, the head of air crash investigation committee, said it appeared the pilot couldn't communicate with air-traffic controllers in Tehran in the last moments of the flight. He didn't elaborate.
The Reuters news agency said Iranian TV reported that one of the plane's two "black boxes" was found.
Ukrainian authorities have offered to help with the investigation.
Emergency workers work near the wreckage of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, a Boeing 737-800 that crashed soon after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport on January 8, 2020, in a still image taken from Iran Press footage.
IRAN PRESS via Reuters
The plane, fully loaded with fuel for its 1,430 mile flight, slammed into farmland near the town of Shahedshahr. Videos taken immediately after the crash show blazes lighting up the darkened fields before dawn.
"The fire is so heavy that we cannot (do) any rescue. … We have 22 ambulances, four bus ambulances and a helicopter at the site," Reuters quoted Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran's emergency services, as telling Iranian state television.
Resident Din Mohammad Qassemi said he'd been watching the news about the Iranian ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces when he heard the crash.
"I heard a massive explosion and all the houses started to shake. There was fire everywhere," he told The Associated Press. "At first I thought (the Americans) have hit here with missiles and went in the basement as a shelter. After a while, I went out and saw a plane has crashed over there. Body parts were lying around everywhere."
The plane carried 167 passengers and nine crew members from different nations, Biniaz said. The crash took the lives of everyone on board, Iranian emergency officials and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said.
AP journalists who reached the crash site saw a wide field of field of debris scattered across farmland, the dead laying among shattered pieces of the aircraft. Their possessions, including a child's cartoon-covered electric toothbrush and a stuffed animal, luggage and electronics, stretched everywhere.
Rescuers in masks shouted over the noise of hovering helicopters as they worked. They quickly realized there would be no survivors.
"The only thing that the pilot managed to do was steer the plane towards a soccer field near here instead of a residential area back there," witness Aref Geravand said. "It crashed near the field and in a water canal."
A Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 with the registration UR-PSR, taxis at Berlin Tegel airport in Germany on October 31, 2018.
JAN SEBA / REUTERS
The Boeing 737-800 is a very common single-aisle, twin-engine jetliner used for short to medium-range flights. Thousands of the planes are used by airlines around the world.
Introduced in the late 1990s, it is an older model than the Boeing 737 MAX, which has been grounded for nearly 10 months following two deadly crashes. Boeing built the aircraft that crashed Wednesday in 2016 and it last underwent routine maintenance on Monday, Ukraine International Airlines said.
A number of 737-800 aircraft have been involved in deadly accidents over the years.
In March 2016, a Flydubai 737-800 from Dubai crashed while trying to land at Rostov-on-Don airport in Russia, killing 62 onboard. Another 737-800 flight from Dubai, operated by Air India Express, crashed in May 2010 while trying to land in Mangalore, India, killing more than 150 onboard.
Chicago-based Boeing Co. was "aware of the media reports out of Iran and we are gathering more information," spokesman Michael Friedman told the AP.
Boeing, like other airline manufacturers, typically assists in crash investigations. However, that effort in this case could be affected by the U.S. sanctions campaign in place on Iran since President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers in May 2018.
Both Airbus and Boeing had been in line to sell billions of dollars of aircraft to Iran over the deal, which saw Tehran limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. But Trump's decision halted the sales.
Under decades of international sanctions, Iran's commercial passenger aircraft fleet has aged, with air accidents occurring regularly for domestic carriers in recent years, resulting in hundreds of casualties.
