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| Iran's admission it shot down airliner is 'important first step', says Boris Johnson – live news | Iran's admission it shot down airliner is 'important first step', says Boris Johnson – live news |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Tehran says its military unintentionally shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, killing all 176 people onboard | Tehran says its military unintentionally shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, killing all 176 people onboard |
| Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau is due to speak shortly, his third press conference since the plane was shot down on Wednesday morning. | |
| Meanwhile, Canadian officials have expressed frustration over an inability to access the crash site— despite an invitation from Iranian officials to do so. | |
| François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s foreign minister, told reporters Friday evening that only two of the 10 members of the delegation had been granted visas for travel to Iran while they waited in Turkey. | |
| Two officials from Canada’s transportation safety board are also waiting for proper documentation. | |
| In Canada, there have been calls from the Iranian Canadian community for those responsible for downing the aircraft to be held accountable. | |
| Payman Parseyan, former president of the Iranian Heritage Society of Edmonton, has tweeted an emotional statement following Iran’s admission it brought down the plane. | |
| He said: “There are no winners in this story and only communities left devastated. Iran’s government has yet to be held accountable and answer for this tragedy that took the lives of some [of] our brightest, our friends, neighbours and fellow Canadian[s].” | |
| Meanwhile the Iranian Canadian congress said in a statement following the news, reiterating calls for a thorough investigation. | |
| Reuters is reporting that Iran’s Fars news agency has published a report on the protests in Tehran, which have sprung up following the admission that the passenger plane was shot down. This is unusual as the agency, which is widely seen as close to the the powerful Revolutionary Guards, rarely reports on anti-government unrest. | |
| The report said protesters were chanting slogans against the nation’s top authorities and that demonstrators on the street had also ripped up pictures of Qassem Soleimani, the prominent commander of the Guard’s Quds Force who was killed in a US drone strike. | |
| The agency carried pictures of the gathering and a torn banner of Soleimani. It said the protesters numbered about 700 to 1,000 people. | |
| Iran’s civil aviation authority has said that Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752 did not veer off its normal course before an anti-aircraft battery launched a missile at it. | Iran’s civil aviation authority has said that Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752 did not veer off its normal course before an anti-aircraft battery launched a missile at it. |
| The latest admission over the downing of the flight with the loss of 176 passengers comes after UIA’s president and vice-president reacted angrily to what they saw as hints by the Iranian authorities that their crew was in some way to blame for the incident. | The latest admission over the downing of the flight with the loss of 176 passengers comes after UIA’s president and vice-president reacted angrily to what they saw as hints by the Iranian authorities that their crew was in some way to blame for the incident. |
| Protesters in Tehran are demanding the resignation of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a Reuters report that offers some context to the footage in tweets embedded in an earlier post. | Protesters in Tehran are demanding the resignation of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a Reuters report that offers some context to the footage in tweets embedded in an earlier post. |
| “Commander-in-chief [Khamenei] resign, resign,” the videos showed hundreds of people chanting in front of Tehran’s Amirkabir University. | “Commander-in-chief [Khamenei] resign, resign,” the videos showed hundreds of people chanting in front of Tehran’s Amirkabir University. |
| Reuters said it could not verify the authenticity of the video footage. | Reuters said it could not verify the authenticity of the video footage. |
| The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office has said it is investigating possible wilfil killing and aircraft destruction in its probe of the crash of a Ukrainian airliner in Iran, Reuters reports. | The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office has said it is investigating possible wilfil killing and aircraft destruction in its probe of the crash of a Ukrainian airliner in Iran, Reuters reports. |
| As Iranians protest over their government’s mishandling of the downing of Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752, in London Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn has addressed hundreds marching against the prospect of war with Iran. | As Iranians protest over their government’s mishandling of the downing of Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752, in London Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn has addressed hundreds marching against the prospect of war with Iran. |
| The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), which co-organised the demonstration with the Stop the War Coalition, is carrying photos of the protest on its Twitter feed. | The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), which co-organised the demonstration with the Stop the War Coalition, is carrying photos of the protest on its Twitter feed. |
| Following on from the previous report about domestic reaction to the Iranian mea culpa, reports are emerging on Twitter of protests in the street in Tehran over the government’s handling of the fiasco. | Following on from the previous report about domestic reaction to the Iranian mea culpa, reports are emerging on Twitter of protests in the street in Tehran over the government’s handling of the fiasco. |
| Reuters has some domestic Iranian reaction to Iranian government admitting its forces shot down the Ukrainian airliner just outside of Tehran, with many in the country angry at what appears to be incompetence and dishonesty by their leaders. | Reuters has some domestic Iranian reaction to Iranian government admitting its forces shot down the Ukrainian airliner just outside of Tehran, with many in the country angry at what appears to be incompetence and dishonesty by their leaders. |
| Boris Johnson has called Iran’s admission it shot down a passenger plane by mistake an “important first step” and said it “reinforces the importance of de-escalating tensions in the region”. | Boris Johnson has called Iran’s admission it shot down a passenger plane by mistake an “important first step” and said it “reinforces the importance of de-escalating tensions in the region”. |
| In a statement, the prime minister said: | In a statement, the prime minister said: |
| A video is circulating on Twitter that purports to show the moment that the surface to air missile that downed UIA flight 752 was launched by Iranian Revolutionary Guards. | A video is circulating on Twitter that purports to show the moment that the surface to air missile that downed UIA flight 752 was launched by Iranian Revolutionary Guards. |
| Reuters is now running more detail on the comments by Ukraine International Airlines’ president and vice-president at the press conference they took earlier this afternoon, where they denied suggestions that their crew were in some way responsible for the downing of the jet. | Reuters is now running more detail on the comments by Ukraine International Airlines’ president and vice-president at the press conference they took earlier this afternoon, where they denied suggestions that their crew were in some way responsible for the downing of the jet. |
| The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has spoken to Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, about the investigation into the downing of the aircraft, a statement from the Ukrainian president’s office said. | The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has spoken to Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, about the investigation into the downing of the aircraft, a statement from the Ukrainian president’s office said. |
| The presidents have agreed to ask French specialists to decode the plane’s black box. Macron said the formal procedure to launch the international investigation had been started and he would visit Kiev. | The presidents have agreed to ask French specialists to decode the plane’s black box. Macron said the formal procedure to launch the international investigation had been started and he would visit Kiev. |
| The relatively quick admission by Iran that Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 was shot down by mistake has drawn comparisons with how Russia handled the MH17 case. | The relatively quick admission by Iran that Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 was shot down by mistake has drawn comparisons with how Russia handled the MH17 case. |
| Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine by a Buk surface-to-air missile on 17 July 2014. Russia has always denied it played any role in the tragedy, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. | Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine by a Buk surface-to-air missile on 17 July 2014. Russia has always denied it played any role in the tragedy, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. |
| Nick Waters, an investigator for Bellingcat, an independent investigative website that has been investigating the MH17 crash, has tweeted to say it had been preparing for a similar scenario to play out again with Iran denying involvement. | Nick Waters, an investigator for Bellingcat, an independent investigative website that has been investigating the MH17 crash, has tweeted to say it had been preparing for a similar scenario to play out again with Iran denying involvement. |
| Protesters were due to be gathering outside the BBC’s London HQ at midday to demonstrate against war with Iran, even as attention is deflected for the time being on to the issue of Iran’s accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner. | Protesters were due to be gathering outside the BBC’s London HQ at midday to demonstrate against war with Iran, even as attention is deflected for the time being on to the issue of Iran’s accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner. |
| The demonstration, organised by the ever-busy Stop the War Coalition, starts outside BBC Broadcasting House and will march to Trafalgar Square where speakers will address the rally. | The demonstration, organised by the ever-busy Stop the War Coalition, starts outside BBC Broadcasting House and will march to Trafalgar Square where speakers will address the rally. |
| The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, are among the prominent figures expected to join the demo, along with the musician Brian Eno and the standup comic Tez Ilyas. | The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, are among the prominent figures expected to join the demo, along with the musician Brian Eno and the standup comic Tez Ilyas. |
| In a statement sent out ahead of the demonstration, Kate Hudson, the general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: | In a statement sent out ahead of the demonstration, Kate Hudson, the general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: |
| The chief of Ukrainian International Airlines, Evgeniy Dikhne, has rejected claims by Iran that the shooting down of its airliner was in some way prompted by a mistake by his crew. | The chief of Ukrainian International Airlines, Evgeniy Dikhne, has rejected claims by Iran that the shooting down of its airliner was in some way prompted by a mistake by his crew. |
| Speaking at a press conference arranged before Iran’s surprise admission of responsibility for shooting down UIA flight 752, Dikhne stressed that his company had received no indication from Iranian or international civil aviation authorities that it would be unsafe to fly over the country. He added: | Speaking at a press conference arranged before Iran’s surprise admission of responsibility for shooting down UIA flight 752, Dikhne stressed that his company had received no indication from Iranian or international civil aviation authorities that it would be unsafe to fly over the country. He added: |
| The vice-president of UIA, Igor Sosnovskiy, continued, saying that Tehran airport had been fully open and operational, despite the tensions between Iran and the US. He spoke of the competency of the crew, who had clocked up thousands of hours of flight time. | The vice-president of UIA, Igor Sosnovskiy, continued, saying that Tehran airport had been fully open and operational, despite the tensions between Iran and the US. He spoke of the competency of the crew, who had clocked up thousands of hours of flight time. |
| Iran should have closed the airport, Sosnovskiy said, and having failed to do so the country must take full responsibility for the downing of the jet and the lives lost. | Iran should have closed the airport, Sosnovskiy said, and having failed to do so the country must take full responsibility for the downing of the jet and the lives lost. |
| A thread here by Reza Khaasteh, a journalist with Iran Front Page news, translates in more detail the statements by the Revolutionary Guards’ Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh in a press conference in which he admits his unit’s responsibility for shooting down UIA 752. | A thread here by Reza Khaasteh, a journalist with Iran Front Page news, translates in more detail the statements by the Revolutionary Guards’ Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh in a press conference in which he admits his unit’s responsibility for shooting down UIA 752. |
| The head of the aerospace division of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has said he “wishes he could die”, as his unit accepted responsibility for shooting down UIA 752. | The head of the aerospace division of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has said he “wishes he could die”, as his unit accepted responsibility for shooting down UIA 752. |
| “I wish I could die and not witness such an accident,” Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh said in a video posted online by Iranian state TV on Saturday. | “I wish I could die and not witness such an accident,” Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh said in a video posted online by Iranian state TV on Saturday. |
| According to translations by Reuters, Hajizadeh says he told authorities on Wednesday about the unintentional missile attack, and that the plane was brought down by a short-range missile. | According to translations by Reuters, Hajizadeh says he told authorities on Wednesday about the unintentional missile attack, and that the plane was brought down by a short-range missile. |
| He says he partly blames the attack on the US, for its assassination of the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani on Iraqi soil last week, which heightened tensions in the region and led to a tit-for-tat strike by Iran on US bases. | He says he partly blames the attack on the US, for its assassination of the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani on Iraqi soil last week, which heightened tensions in the region and led to a tit-for-tat strike by Iran on US bases. |