US President Donald Trump has tweeted his support to the people of Iran, saying "I've stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency."
Hundreds of Iranian protesters demanded Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei step down on Saturday after Tehran admitted that its military had mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian plane, killing all 176 people on board.
“Commander-in-chief [Khamenei] resign, resign,” videos posted on Twitter showed hundreds of people chanting in front of Tehran’s Amir Kabir university.
Breaking:People in #Iran have just begun the protest against de regime.Students of Amirkabir university in Tehran chant slogans against the supreme leader!#IranProtests#IranPlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/rzr7w6Oaju
— Alireza Azami (@Alireza__Azami) January 11, 2020
This is the first protest since the assassination of IRGC Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani. Last November, hundreds were reportedly killed in protests in multiple cities across the Islamic Republic.
Demonstrators on Saturday ripped up pictures of Soleimani during the protests.In a show of solidarity with the people of Iran against the regime, Trump tweeted: "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. We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage."
He then issued a second tweet saying the same in Farsi.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. We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2020
The concealment of the Ukrainian jet downing by the Iranian authorities raised questions among the republic’s citizens, leading to the renewal of the protests.
“They were so careful not to kill any American in their revenge for Soleimani. But they did not close the airport? This shows how much this regime cares for Iranians,” said Iranian citizen Mira Sedaghati.
“This is not human error. This is a crime against humanity,” said exiled Persian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi on Saturday. “He who has irresponsibly empowered his thugs to fire at will at innocents bears full responsibility. #Enough_is_enough. Khamenei and his regime must go.”
This is not human error. This is a crime against humanity. He who has irresponsibly empowered his thugs to fire at will at innocents bears full responsibility. #Enough_is_enough. Khamenei and his regime must go. https://t.co/DuZkB5TlGo
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) January 11, 2020
In an earlier tweet, Pahlavi, a self-described advocate for human rights and secular democracy, said that “unfortunately, death has overshadowed our country. A government that cannot handle a funeral has cheapened death,” he said. “Our task is to combat the normalization of death.”
The Iranian regime called the incident a “disastrous mistake,” saying air defenses were fired in error while on alert after Iranian missile strikes on US targets in Iraq.
Iran had denied for days after Wednesday’s crash that it brought down the plane, although a top Revolutionary Guards commander said on Saturday that he had told authorities about the unintentional missile strike the day it happened.
Foreign governments condemned Iran’s action, with Ukraine demanding compensation and a US official calling the downing reckless, although Britain said Tehran’s admission was an important first step and urged a de-escalation in tensions.
Khamenei, until now silent about the crash, said information about the incident should be made public, while top officials and the military issued apologies.
The crash heightened international pressure on Iran after months of friction with the United States and tit-for-tat attacks.
Canada, which had 57 citizens on board, and the US had both said early on that they believed an Iranian missile brought down the aircraft, probably in error.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake,” President Hassan Rouhani wrote on Twitter, promising that those responsible would be prosecuted. “My thoughts and prayers go to all the mourning families.”
Experts said mounting international scrutiny would have made it all but impossible to hide signs of a missile strike in any investigation and Iran may have felt a U-turn was better than battling rising criticism abroad and growing grief and anger at home, as many victims were Iranians with dual nationality.
The plane, a Boeing 737-800 en route for Kiev, came down shortly after take-off from Tehran, when Iran was alert for US reprisals after launching rockets at US troops in Iraqi bases.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Iran’s acknowledgment that it shot down the plane was a step in the right direction but he wanted those responsible to be held to account.
Writing on Twitter after speaking to Rouhani, Zelensky demanded that the victims be identified and returned to Ukraine at once. “The perpetrators must be held accountable,” he added.
Zelensky said Rouhani had apologized on behalf of his country.
A senior Trump administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that “Iran’s reckless actions have again had devastating consequences.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Iran’s admission was “an important first step” and that it was “vital that all leaders now pursue a diplomatic way forward” to avoid conflict.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for “a complete and thorough investigation” with Iran’s full cooperation.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, in a rare step, apologized to the nation and accepted full responsibility.
Senior Guards commander Amirali Hajizadeh said he had informed Iran’s authorities on Wednesday about the unintentional strike, a comment that raised questions about why officials had publicly denied it for so long.
Speaking on state television, he said he wished “I could die” when he heard the news about the incident.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter that “human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster,” citing an initial armed forces investigation into the crash.
A military statement said the plane flew close to a sensitive Revolutionary Guards site at a time of high alert. Ukraine said the plane was in a normal flight corridor and Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said the airliner had not veered off its normal course.
Ukraine International Airlines said Iran should have closed the airport. The carrier said it had received no indication it faced a threat and was cleared for take off.
European airlines should avoid Iranian airspace until further notice, the EU Aviation Safety Agency said, expanding on earlier advice that airlines should not overfly Iran below 25,000 feet.
Analysts said a probe would almost certainly have revealed signs on the smashed fuselage of a missile strike.
“There’s nothing you can do to cover it up or hide it,” said Anthony Brickhouse, an air safety expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and former US National Transportation Safety Board investigator. “Evidence is evidence.”
Tzvi Joffre and Reuters contributed to this report.