Iran arrests suspects in ‘unforgivable’ plane disaster, as protests persist

President Hassan Rowhani promises thorough investigation in address on Tuesday

30 others detained for involvement in demonstrations that swept nation after military belatedly admitted to shooting down aircraft, killing everyone on board

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A poster of slain Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani is seen at a memorial for the victims of the Ukrainian plane crash at the University of Tehran on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:49am, 15 Jan 2020Updated: 1:49am, 15 Jan 2020

Iran said on Tuesday it had arrested people accused of a role in shooting down a Ukrainian airliner and had also detained 30 people involved in protests that have swept the nation for four days since the military belatedly admitted its error.

Wednesday’s shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, killing all 176 people aboard, has led to one of the biggest public challenges to the Islamic Republic’s clerical rulers since they took power four decades ago.

President Hassan Rowhani promised a thorough investigation into the “unforgivable error” of shooting down the plane, in an address on Tuesday. It was the latest in a series of apologies by the leadership that has done little to quell public anger.

Britain, France and Germany also increased diplomatic pressure on Iran, launching a dispute mechanism to challenge Tehran for breaching limits on its nuclear programme under an agreement which Washington abandoned in 2018.

Tehran has faced an escalating confrontation with the West and a wave of unrest since the United States killed Iran’s most powerful military commander in a drone strike on January 3.

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