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| Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami |
Tehran, IRAN
Iran's top Guards
commander briefed parliament on Sunday, a day after the armed forces said a
Ukrainian airliner was shot down in error in an admission that sparked an angry
demonstration.
His closed-session testimony comes after the temporary
arrest Saturday of Britain's ambassador to Tehran, Rob Macaire, shortly after
he left a vigil for the air disaster victims that turned into a protest.
On the day after the rally at Tehran's Amir Kabir
University, tensions appeared to be mounting again on the streets of the
capital, with a heavy police presence notably around the iconic Azadi Square
south of the centre.
Riot police armed with water cannon and batons were seen at
Amir Kabir, Sharif and Tehran universities as well as Enqelab Square. Around 50
Basij militiamen brandishing paintball guns, potentially to mark protesters to
authorities, were also seen near Amir Kabir.
The military acknowledged Saturday that the Ukraine
International Airlines plane was mistakenly shot down Wednesday, killing all
176 people aboard, after denying for days Western claims it was downed by a
missile.
The majority of those on the Boeing 737, which slammed into
a field shortly after take-off from Tehran, were Iranians and Canadians, and
many were students.
World leaders welcomed Iran's admission, but Canada's Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau and others have also called for a full and transparent
investigation.
The Kiev-bound plane was shot down at a time when Iran's
armed forces were on a heightened state of alert after launching a volley of
missiles at US troops stationed in Iraqi military bases.
Iran had vowed to exact "severe revenge" for the
January 3 US drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, the head of the
Revolutionary Guards' foreign operations arm.
The Guards' top commander, Major General Hossein Salami,
briefed parliament about the general's killing, Iran's retaliation and the
downing of the airliner, semi-official news agency ISNA said.
At the end of the session, speaker Ali Larijani asked the
Majles' security and foreign policy commission to examine the air disaster and
how to prevent such incidents from occurring again, ISNA said.
On Saturday, President Hassan Rouhani said a military probe
into the tragedy had found "missiles fired due to human error"
brought down the Boeing 737.
The Guards' aerospace commander General Amirali Hajizadeh
accepted full responsibility.
In the evening, a memorial at Tehran's Amir Kabir
University in honour of those killed turned into a demonstration that, AFP
correspondents said, was attended by hundreds of students.
They shouted "death to liars" and demanded the
resignation and prosecution of those responsible for downing the plane and
allegedly covering up the accidental action.
Fars news agency said police "dispersed" them as
they left the university and blocked streets, causing a traffic jam.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran against cracking
down.
"There can not be another massacre of peaceful
protesters, nor an internet shutdown. The world is watching," he tweeted.
"We are following your protests closely, and are
inspired by your courage," Trump said in a comment directed at protesters.
The latest demonstrations follow a crackdown on street
violence that erupted across Iran over fuel price hikes in November. Amnesty
International has said more than 300 were killed.
Newspapers called for resignations and sackings over the
handling of the air disaster.
Sazandegi, a moderate conservative publication, also
apologised to its readers for having trusted official sources on the matter.
"Apologise, resign," said the main headline of
the reformist Etemad daily.
"Unforgivable," said government newspaper Iran,
which published all the names of those who died in the air disaster on the
image of black plane tail.
Kayhan, a hardline daily, led on the supreme leader's
"strict orders" to follow up on the "painful incident of the
plane crash".
As public anger grew, state television aired interviews
with people who it said "have not forgotten everything the Guards have
done for the country".
Britain's ambassador to Tehran meanwhile took to Twitter to
deny he had attended the demonstration before being arrested.
"Can confirm I wasn't taking part in any
demonstrations! Went to an event advertised as a vigil for victims of #PS752
tragedy," Macaire said, adding he had been detained half an hour after
leaving the area.
"Normal to want to pay respects -- some of victims
were British. I left after 5 mins, when some started chanting," he
tweeted.
The arrest triggered diplomatic protests, with London
calling it a violation of international law and EU foreign policy chief Josep
Borrell added his voice to the chorus of condemnation.
"Very concerned about the temporary detention of the
UK Ambassador @HMATehran in Iran. Full respect of the Vienna convention is a
must. The EU calls for de-escalation and space for diplomacy," Borrell
tweeted.
Iran's Mehr news agency said Macaire was arrested for his
alleged "involvement in provoking suspicious acts" at the gathering
in front of the university. - AFP
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