Shafaq news/ Iran sent the black box of a Ukrainian passenger plane which was accidentally downed in Tehran earlier this year to France.

All 176 people on board were killed when the plane was hit by two missiles shortly after take-off on 8 January.

Iran's deputy foreign minister said the black boxes were taken to Paris on Friday and would be read on Monday.

Iran initially denied responsibility for the incident, which came amid heightened tensions with the US.

But the country admitted fault days later, after Western intelligence officials said evidence pointed to Iranian involvement.

Tehran said the Ukraine International Airlines flight had been mistaken for a cruise missile, in what President Hassan Rouhani described as an "unforgivable mistake".

Iran had previously delayed releasing the black box - which contains key data and communications from the cockpit - amid disagreements with countries whose citizens died over where it should be decoded.

Under global aviation rules, Iran has the right to lead the investigation, but manufacturers are typically involved and experts say few countries are capable of analyzing black boxes.

Iran had refused to release the black box to the US, where the plane's manufacturer Boeing is based.

The recordings will now be analyzed by French experts. Canada, which lost 55 citizens in the crash, and Ukraine have said they will send their own experts to take part in the investigation.