TEHRAN (IRNA via Reuters) --- Iran will send the black boxes from a downed Ukrainian airliner to France’s BEA air accident investigation agency, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will send the black box of the Ukrainian airplane to France in the coming few days in order to read its information”, Zarif said. He made the comments in a phone call with Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. Canada had 57 citizens on board.

Iran shot down the Ukraine International Airlines flight on Jan. 8 with a ground-to-air missile, killing 176 people, in what Tehran later acknowledged as a “disastrous mistake” by forces on high alert during a confrontation with the United States.

The fate of the cockpit voice and data “black box” recorders was the subject of an international standoff after the plane was shot down, with Ukraine demanding access.