WASHINGTON, Jan 12, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – US President Donald Trump said
Saturday the United States was monitoring Iranian demonstrations closely,
warning against any new “massacre” as protests broke out after Tehran
admitted to shooting down a passenger plane.
Iran said earlier it unintentionally downed a Ukrainian jetliner outside
Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard, in an abrupt about-turn after
initially denying Western claims it was struck by a missile. The firing came
shortly after Iran launched missiles at bases in Iraq housing American
forces.
President Hassan Rouhani said a military probe into the tragedy had found
“missiles fired due to human error” brought down the Boeing 737, calling it
an “unforgivable mistake.”
At a student protest to pay tribute to the crash victims on Saturday,
Iranian authorities briefly detained Britain’s ambassador, in what the
British government called a violation of international law. He was later
released.
Trump told Iranians — in tweets in both English and Farsi — that he
stands by them and is monitoring the demonstrations.
“To the brave, long-suffering people of Iran: I’ve stood with you since the
beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with
you,” he tweeted.
“There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters, nor an internet
shutdown. The world is watching,” he added, apparently referring to an
Iranian crackdown on street protests that broke out in November.
“We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage,”
he said. The new demonstrations follow an Iranian crackdown on street
protests that broke out in November. Amnesty International has said it left
more than 300 people dead.
Internet access was reportedly cut off in multiple Iranian provinces ahead
of memorials planned a month after the protests.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has demanded that Iran provide “full
clarity” on the downing of the plane. Ottawa says the dead included 57
Canadians.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also offered his condolences
and ordered the armed forces to address “shortcomings” so that such a
disaster does not happen again.
Tehran’s acknowledgement came after officials in Iran denied for days
Western claims that the Ukraine International Airlines plane had been struck
by a missile in a catastrophic error.
The Kiev-bound jet slammed into a field shortly after taking off from
Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport on Wednesday.
The crash came hours after Tehran launched missiles at bases hosting
American forces in Iraq in response to the killing of top Iranian general
Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike.
Fears grew of an all-out war between Iran and its arch-enemy the United
States, but those concerns have subsided after Trump said Tehran appeared to
be standing down after targeting the US bases.
– Protesters ‘dispersed’ –
On Saturday evening, police dispersed students who had converged on Amir
Kabir University in Tehran to pay tribute to the victims, after some among
the hundreds gathered shouted “destructive” slogans, Fars news agency said.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said UK envoy Rob Macaire had been
detained.
“The arrest of our ambassador in Tehran without grounds or explanation is a
flagrant violation of international law,” Raab said in a statement. The US
called on Iran to apologize.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the country’s conservatives,
said the envoy had been “provoking radical acts” among students. He was
released a few hours later and would be summoned again by Iranian officials
on Sunday, it said.
State television reported that students shouted “anti-regime” chants, while
Fars reported that posters of Soleimani had been torn down. The aerospace
commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards accepted full responsibility for
Wednesday’s accident.
But Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said the missile operator acted
independently, targeting the 737 after mistaking it for a “cruise missile”.
The operator failed to obtain approval from his superiors because of
disruptions to a communications system, he said.
“He had 10 seconds to decide. He could have decided to strike or not to
strike and under such circumstances, he took the wrong decision.”
– Justice, compensation –
Iran had been under mounting international pressure to allow a “credible”
investigation after video emerged appearing to show the moment the airliner
was hit.
In footage that the New York Times said it had verified, a fast-moving
object is seen rising into the sky before a bright flash appears. Several
seconds later, an explosion is heard.
Iran’s military said it had been at the highest level of alert after
American “threats” and that the plane had turned and come close to a
“sensitive” military site before it was targeted due to “human error.”
Rouhani said Iran had been on alert for possible US attacks after
Soleimani’s “martyrdom.”
Rouhani added he had ordered “all relevant bodies to take all necessary
actions (to ensure) compensation” to the families of those killed.
The majority of passengers on Flight PS752 were Iranians and Canadians,
including dual nationals, while Ukrainians, Afghans, Britons and Swedes were
also aboard.
Rouhani told his Ukrainian counterpart Saturday that “all the persons
involved in this air disaster will be brought to justice,” Ukraine’s
presidency said.
This is Iran’s worst civil aviation disaster since 1988 when the US
military said it shot down an Iran Air plane over the Gulf by mistake,
killing all 290 people on board.