Iran says it 'unintentionally' shot down Ukrainian jetliner

Iran announced on Saturday that its military "unintentionally" shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week, killing all 176 aboard, after the government had repeatedly denied Western accusations that it was responsible.

The plane was shot down early on Wednesday, hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on two military bases housing US troops in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in an American airstrike in Baghdad. No one was wounded in the attack on the bases.

The development sparked anti-government protests in Tehran.

'Hostile target'

A military statement carried by state media said the plane was mistaken for a "hostile target" after it turned toward a "sensitive military centre” of the Revolutionary Guard. The military was at its “highest level of readiness," it said, amid the heightened tensions with the United States.

"In such a condition, because of human error and in an unintentional way, the flight was hit," the statement said. It apologised for the disaster and said it would upgrade its systems to prevent future tragedies.

It also said those responsible for the strike on the plane would be prosecuted.

In an address broadcast by state TV on Saturday, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said that when he learned about the downing of the plane, which killed all 176 passengers on board, "I wished I were dead."

Iran's acknowledgement of responsibility for the crash was likely to inflame public sentiment against authorities after Iranians had rallied around their leaders in the wake of Soleimani's killing. The general was seen as a national icon, and hundreds of thousands of Iranians had turned out for funeral processions across the country.

But the vast majority of the plane victims were Iranians or Iranian-Canadians, and the crash came just weeks after authorities quashed nationwide protests ignited by a hike in gasoline prices.

Protests in Tehran

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, in a rare report on anti-government unrest, said protesters in Tehran on Saturday chanted slogans against the nation's top authorities.

The report said the demonstrators on the street also ripped up pictures of Soleimani.

The agency, widely seen as close to the Guards, carried pictures of the gathering and a torn banner of Soleimani. 

It said the protesters numbered about 700 to 1,000 people.

UK ambassador to Iran arrested during demonstrations 

Britain's Foreign Office confirmed late on Saturday that the country's ambassador in Tehran had been briefly detained by Iranian authorities. 

The Tehran-based Tasnim News Agency said Rob Macaire was arrested for more than an hour before being released. The envoy was arrested in front of Amir Kabir University for inciting anti-government protesters.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, "the arrest of our ambassador in Tehran without grounds or explanation is a flagrant violation of international law.”

"The Iranian government is at a crossroads moment,” he said. “It can continue its march towards pariah status with all the political and economic isolation that entails, or take steps to de-escalate tensions and engage in a diplomatic path forwards."

The United States called on Iran to apologise for detaining the British ambassador to Tehran. 

"This violates the Vienna Convention, which the regime has a notorious history of violating. We call on the regime to formally apologize to the UK for violating his rights and to respect the rights of all diplomats," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus tweeted.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump took to Twitter to call on the Iranian regime to allow human rights groups to monitor protests in the Islamic Republic.

"The government of Iran must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people. There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters, nor an internet shutdown. The world is watching," Trump wrote.

Zarif - Rouhani react

"A sad day," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted. “Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster. Our profound regrets, apologies and condolences to our people, to the families of all victims, and to other affected nations.”

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also took to Twitter to express his regret over the tragedy.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake," he wrote on Twitter. "My thoughts and prayers go to all the mourning families. I offer my sincerest condolences."

The investigation will continue, Rouhani wrote in a separate tweet.

The jetliner, a Boeing 737 operated by Ukrainian International Airlines (UIA), went down on the outskirts of Tehran shortly after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport.

Iran had denied for several days that a missile caused the crash. But then the US and Canada, citing intelligence, said they believed Iran shot down the aircraft with a surface-to-air missile, a conclusion supported by videos of the incident.

The plane, en route to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries, including 82 Iranians, at least 57 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians, according to officials. The Canadian government had earlier lower the nation's death toll from 63.

"This is the right step for the Iranian government to admit responsibility, and it gives people a step toward closure with this admission," said Payman Parseyan, a prominent Iranian-Canadian in western Canada who lost a number of friends in the crash.

"I think the investigation would have disclosed it whether they admitted it or not. This will give them an opportunity to save face."

Ukraine demands punishment

Ukraine on Saturday demanded that Iran punish those guilty for the downing of a Ukrainian airliner and compensate victims while praising Tehran for cooperating with the "objective" investigation.

"We expect Iran... to bring the guilty to the courts," the Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelenskiy wrote on Facebook, calling also for the "payment of compensation" and the return of remains.

Kiev said that Iran had cooperated with its experts and it expects an objective probe.

Tehran has handed Ukrainian experts enough data including "all the photos, videos and other materials" to show the investigation "will be carried out objectively and promptly," Zelenskiy's office said.

"The political part of the work is finished," it added. 

"Absolutely irresponsible"

UIA chief Yevhenii Dykhne said at a press conference in Kiev on Saturday that Tehran should have closed the airport due to the escalation of tensions in the region following the US assassination of a top Iranian general. 

"It's absolutely irresponsible... if you're playing at war, they were obliged to close the airport," Dykhne said. 

He wrote on Facebook that the Ukrainian crew and the aircraft "were the best."