Iran admits to unintentionally shooting down Ukrainian plane

President Trump tweeted a message of support in English and Farsi to demonstrators in Iran following a day of protests in the country.

Thousands of people gathered in front of the gate of Amirkabir University of Technology not far from the former US Embassy in Tehran on Saturday in anti-government protests.

The students were originally set to gather for a vigil ceremony to commemorate the victims of the downed Ukrainian Airlines plane, but the mood of the crowd shifted to anger, Iran’s semi-official FARS News Agency reported.

Across social media people posted the following:

“The Chief Commander of all army forces (Supreme Leader) must resign.”

“Resignation is not enough. The responsible must be tried.” 

“Death to dictator.”

“IRGC, resignation, resignation. Leave the power.”

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke via phone Saturday about the Ukrainian passenger jet being shot down, according to a readout of the phone call from the Canadian government.

Rouhani expressed “profound regret for the shooting down of the aircraft by the Iranian military.”

Trudeau insisted on the need for a complete and thorough investigation, saying Canada was ready to deploy air safety experts to facilitate black box examination and DNA specialists to assist with victim identification and the return of remains to Canada.

Trudeau and Rouhani agreed “on the importance of de-escalation and dialogue to reduce tensions and promote stability in the region.” Trudeau said the incident is “an example of how heightened tensions can have tragic consequences for innocent civilians.”

CNN has obtained video through Alireza Azami, an activist in the Netherlands, showing thousands of people gathered in front of the gate of Amir Kabir University in Tehran.

Azami told CNN the videos were shot by people at the protests who want to remain anonymous for safety reasons. 

In the video below, protesters can be heard chanting “Khamenei have shame. Leave the country.”

Some context: Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged Iran’s Armed Forces to investigate the “possible shortcomings” that led to the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane on Wednesday.

Watch Azami’s video below:

Bahareh Karami 

One of the victims killed in the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crash was an alumna of North Carolina State University, according to the school.

Bahareh Karami received a master’s degree in environmental engineering in 2012, the school said. She’s remembered for her “perseverance and optimism.”

“She initially had a tough time in grad school,” said Francis de los Reyes, an engineering professor who was her mentor. “But she stuck to it and I was so proud of her when she graduated. She had a bright future ahead of her.”

Karami’s employer, the Regional Municipality of York in Canada, lowered flags to half-staff in her honor, the school said.

Karami spoke four languages and earned a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering at the University of Tehran in 2009, then received an international certificate in health, safety and environmental training from the United Nations Association of Iran.

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council secretary, told CNN “the Iranians may have had a desire that nothing be revealed” and that they “acted there [at the crash site] very, very quickly so that everything was hidden.”

Danilov said in an interview Friday to say that “what they did and how it all looked when we [Ukrainian investigators] saw it was just awful.”

Ukrainian investigators “understood” that a missile had brought down PS752 on its way from Tehran to Kiev just three hours after they started work at the crash site, according to Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov.

Danilov, who spoke with CNN today, said “these experts have experience in studying such tragedies, they were involved in the investigation of the Boeing disaster brought down by the Russian Federation [Malaysia Airlines Flight 17] in the Donetsk region.” 

He added that “after 3 hours of their fruitful work and thanks to the information that we began to receive from other sources, we realized that such a tragedy had occurred.”

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life” following the news of the Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed Wednesday killing all 176 people on board.

Of those people on board, 57 were Canadian.

The Queen’s message can be read here.

Photos of crash site of Ukrainian plane 

Tensions between the US and Iran “contributed” to the downing of flight PS 752, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters this afternoon when asked if Canada draws a direct connection between the plane crash and tensions between the two countries, as Iran has previously stated. 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau he commits “to collaborate, to give closure to the victims, de-escalate tensions in the region and continue this dialogue,” Trudeau told reporters this afternoon.

Three visas have been issued for members of Canada’s Standing Rapid Deployment Team (SRDT), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters this afternoon.

The SRDT is a unit of specialized officials deployed to work alongside Canada’s embassies and consulates abroad to help provide critical services to Canadians in distress during emergencies, according to the Canadian government. 

“We expect that the lead members of this team will arrive in Tehran around 4 p.m.today and establish a presence on the ground to support Canadian families,” Trudeau said, adding that additional team members will follow. 

CNN previously reported that the Canadian government was waiting on visas to be granted for members of the government’s Transportation Safety Board and Global Affairs staff. 

“Currently, Iranians are cooperating in granting visas,” the prime minister said.

Thousands of people gathered in front of the gate of Amir Kabir University, not far from the former American embassy, in Tehran today as part of anti-government protests. 

Iran’s semi-official FARS News Agency said that the students were originally set to gather for a vigil for the victims of the downed Ukrainian Airlines plane but the mood of the crowd shifted to anger.

The death of graduates from top universities migrating to Canada on the Ukrainian flight has struck a nerve with protesters. Many protesters feel their future is ruined in a country facing high unemployment.

FARS says that students were originally assisted by the Law Enforcement of the Islamic Republic (NAJA), but as they entered the main roads and caused road blocks, NAJA dispersed the students.

The number of protesters is not as high as recent protests, but it may lead to further protests in different university campuses in the coming weeks.

The following protest video was taken by Alireza Azami in Tehran:

Speaking in Ottawa this afternoon, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Iran’s admission regarding the Ukrainian passenger jet “an extremely serious matter.”

Trudeau added: “What Iran has admitted to is very serious. Shooting down a civilian aircraft is horrific. Iran must take full responsibility. Canada will not rest until we get the accountability, justice and closure that the families deserve.”

Iran President Hassan Rouhani apologized to the Ukrainian people for downing the Ukrainian plane and promised to hold those responsible for the tragedy “accountable,” according to the readout of today’s call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to the statement, Iran is working to repatriate the bodies of those killed in the crash by Jan. 19 and “agrees on the issue” of paying Ukraine compensations.

Iran’s admission that its armed forces mistakenly shot down a Ukraine International Airlines passenger jet in Tehran on Wednesday is a “step in the right direction,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today on Twitter. 

“The perpetrators must be held accountable. We look forward to further legal and technical cooperation,” the Ukrainian president added. 

Zelensky’s remarks come after the Iranian Armed Forces confirmed that flight PS752 was unintentionally hit after being mistaken for a hostile target.

Ukraine is now investigating the downing of a Ukraine International Airlines passenger jet in Tehran by the Iranian armed forces on Wednesday as a possible case of “willful killing and aircraft destruction,” the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s office said today in a statement. 

 “The investigation will continue under the articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provide for the liability for the willful killing of two or more people and the destruction of the aircraft,” the statement added.

More context: The change in the qualification of the investigation – which had initially been treated as a “violation of traffic safety rules” and “operation of air transport resulting in death” case – follows Iran’s admission on Saturday that it mistakenly downed the flight, killing 176 people on board.

According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Central Investigating Department of the Security Service of Ukraine has been “instructed to conduct a pre-trial investigation” into the case.

A senior administration official had harsh words for Iran after it admitted it shot down the Ukrainian passenger plane.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was “good that we know who was responsible” for the downing of the Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, describing Iran’s accidental downing of the passenger aircraft as “a dramatic event.”

The Canadian government is waiting for Iran to issue 10 visas to representatives of the Canadian government to gain access to the accident site, Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a press conference Friday evening.

Two members of Canada’s Transportation Safety Board and 10 officials from Global Affairs are waiting in Ankara, Turkey for the documents. 

Champagne added: “I’ve been calling the Foreign Minister of Turkey today to seek his assistance as well to make sure the Iranian embassy in Ankara would be issuing the visas as quickly as possible because we all know that in circumstances like the one we’re facing time is of the essence. Every hour matters and we are pursuing that vigorously with all the authorities and partners around the world.” 

Champagne said the latest information he had as of Friday evening was that two visas have been issued, but 10 more were needed for the Canadians to move into Tehran.

The European Union has acknowledged the statements made by the Iranian authorities taking responsibility for the crash of Ukrainian International Airlines jetliner on Jan. 8.

The spokesperson added: “In view of the commitments given by President Rouhani, the EU expects that Iran will continue to cooperate fully and undertake a comprehensive and transparent investigation, which should abide by international standards, into how this tragedy occurred. Appropriate measures need to be taken to ensure that such a horrible accident can never occur again.”

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson said today that Iran’s admission that PS752 was shot down by mistake was “an important first step” and that a transparent investigation was now needed.

Johnson added: “We now need a comprehensive, transparent and independent international investigation and the repatriation of those who died. The UK will work closely with Canada, Ukraine and our other international partners affected by this accident to ensure this happens.”

The statement went on to say that “this tragic accident only reinforces the importance of de-escalating tensions in the region. We can all see very clearly that further conflict will only lead to more loss and tragedy. It is vital that all leaders now pursue a diplomatic way forward.”