An Iranian passenger plane crashed near the country's northwestern city of Gazvin and all 168 people on board were killed, Iran's state TV IRIB website reported Wednesday.

The crash took place eleven minutes after take-off from Tehran' s international Imam Khomeini airport and 70 miles (112.7 km) from Tehran.

IRIB quoted an official from the health ministry, Mohammad Reza Montazer Khorasan, as saying that all the people on board were killed.

Among the passengers are Iran's national adolescent Judo team members along with their coach, the report said.

The exact location of the air crash was near Farsian village, six km to the south of Gazvin city, according to IRIB.

The Russia-made Tupolev passenger plane had been traveling from Tehran to the Armenian capital of Yerevan, Press TV said, adding that the plane was completely destroyed and its wreckage in flames.

The cause of the air disaster is not immediately clear.

Experts believe that the U.S. imposed sanctions against Iran, as to prevent its allies from selling aircraft or aircraft parts to the country, "have undermined safety standards within Iran's civil and military aviation fleet and is increasing the likelihood of more major air disasters."

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2009)