Originally Posted by
OldnGrounded
Or, perhaps, temporarily silenced the transponder to avoid squawking wrong codes while dialing new one received from ATC?
If/when the CVR/FDR data is analyzed, this kind of (usually minor) correction of a squawk could be confirmed or shown not to be in play. One hopes that the CVR/FDR analysis is completed soon and quesstions like this put to rest / answered.
It's possible.
As to Mr Rooney's video/twitverse offering from the Babak account, and Airbubba's posting of what looks to be the same twitmatter: "sources in IRGC/ASF"
As with Western media, sometimes a reporter is protecting a source, and sometimes it's not the full story, and sometimes there's a bit of making stuff up going on.
A grain of salt served for the time being, though this source did provide some useful input early on in the chain of information events ...
As to M Mihajlovic's observation: that a unit
can be in an autonomous mode does not mean that it necessarily will be at a given date and time. There are a lot of different ways to put together an integrated air defense posture around one's capital city and around one's operating base.