TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan offered condolences to his Russian counterpart over the crash of a passenger plane in Sinai that killed 224 people.

In a message to Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday, Dehqan expressed his deepest sympathy over the deaths of Russian citizens in the tragic plane crash.

On behalf of Iran�s Armed Forces, Dehqan also offered condolences to the Russian government and nation and to the bereaved families of the victims.

On Saturday, an Airbus A321 belonging to Russian airline Kogalymavia, which operated the plane under the brand name Metrojet, crashed in Egypt�s Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.

Russian officials have said the plane, carrying holidaymakers from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg, likely broke up in mid-air but said it was too early to say what caused it to crash.

The first bodies recovered from the wreckage arrived on board a Russian government plane at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport on Monday.

By Tasnim News Agency