Iran said on Saturday it unintentionally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane killing 176 people on board due to human error, after initially denying it brought down the plane in the tense aftermath of Iranian missile strikes on U.S. targets in Iraq.

Wednesday’s crash heightened international pressure on Iran after months of friction with the United States and tit-for-tat military strikes. Washington killed an Iranian general last week in Iraq, prompting Tehran to fire at U.S. targets.

The United States and Canada, which had 57 citizens on board, had blamed an Iranian action for bringing down the aircraft. Ottawa had told Iran that “the world is watching.”

On Twitter, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the armed forces investigation showed the downing of the Boeing 737-800 was the result of “human error at time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism (that) led to disaster.”

An Iranian military statement, announcing that a missile had struck the plane and expressing condolences to the victims, said the plane had flown close to a sensitive military site belonging to the elite Revolutionary Guards.

It said responsible parties would be referred to a judicial department within the military and held accountable.

Mobile phone footage posted and circulated by ordinary Iranians on Twitter after the crash has indicated that it came down in a ball of flames.

Iran had said on Thursday it would download the information from voice and flight data recorders, known as black boxes, to determine what had happened, although it had said that the process could take one to two months.

Tehran said it could ask Russia, Canada, France or Ukraine for help in an effort that it said could take one or two years.

Many of the victims were Iranian with dual nationality.

Iran initially dismissed the accusations that a missile was to blame for the crash, calling such suggestions “psychological warfare”.

Grief-stricken Iranians and others have posted images related to the crash. One showed a child’s red shoe in the dirt. Another was a selfie of a mother and daughter in their seats, sent to a loved one just before takeoff.

“Why were any civilian airlines flying out of Tehran airport in those conditions?” a user named Shiva Balaghi wrote on Twitter.

Ukraine had been looking at various possible causes of the crash, including an attack by a Russian-made missile, a collision, an engine explosion or terrorism.

(REUTERS)

Queen Elizabeth II has ordered royal courtiers to define a future role for Prince Harry and Meghan within days, following their unexpected decision to distance themselves from the royal family.

First Brexit, now Megxit.

Sources say Queen Elizabeth II has called on aides to rapidly define the new roles of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The reports come as Britain is still reeling from the couple’s announcement that they are stepping down from full-time royal duties.

Fans of the monarchy greeted the move with dismay.

“Very strange behaviour,” royals superfan John Loughery told Reuters. “And I think she is wearing the trousers, and I feel sorry for Harry. We want the golden boy back. And I think it will end up in tears.”

Many are sceptical at how the couple could stay on as part-time royals – and are upset by claims that the rest of the royal family was blindsided by the announcement.

“They’re a law unto themselves. They are just putting out statements, here, there and everywhere without consulting anybody,” said another fan.

On their new website, the Sussexes announced they will no longer take part in the Royal Rota system, which sends updates to British papers. Tabloids in particular have been heavily critical of the couple, leading Prince Harry and Meghan to speak publicly about the toll of the intense media pressure that comes with being senior royals.

From now on, they will be providing direct access only “to credible media outlets focused on objective news reporting”, and prioritising communication with “grassroots media organisations and young, up-and-coming journalists”.

You might call it their own way of taking back control.

Culled from France 24

The UN Security Council on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to “an international order based on international law” amid fears of armed conflict between the United States and Iran.

The 15 members said the Security Council “reaffirms its commitment to the Charter of the United Nations, including the purposes and principles of the Charter, and an international order based on international law.”

The declaration was issued at the start of a debate on the UN Charter which had been tabled before the present crisis by Vietnam, a non-permanent member of the Security Council and which assumes the rotating presidency this month.

A record 111 countries, including several ministers, had signed up for the marathon debate on peace and security that will bring US and Iranian officials into the same room for the first time since the two countries came to brink of war in the past week following the US assassination of a top Iranian general.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said this week he had been informed by UN chief Antonio Guterres that Washington has denied him a visa for his trip to the UN headquarters in New York.

Asked about Zarif’s complaint, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the State Department does not comment on visa matters.

“The United States never say ‘no.’ They just don’t respond,” a UN official told AFP, noting that the tactic allowed Washington to deny any breach of its obligations as host country to the UN headquarters.

The same source, who asked not to be named, said that if the US formally refuses a request for a visa it is obliged to notify the UN leadership, which would cast its actions in an unfavorable light.

The declaration came as the UN prepares to celebrate 75 years since its founding in October 1945.

“The Security Council reaffirms its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security,” it said.

In the week since tensions flared between the United States and Iran, no member nation of the Security Council has called for an emergency meeting of the body to address the crisis that has brought the Middle East to the verge of open war.

Source: AFP

A large number of anti-war activists have stage a demonstration in New York City’s Times Square, demanding an end to US military actions in the Middle East.

The demonstration was held on Wednesday amid US President Donald Trump’s aggressive actions against Iran that have increased concerns of spiraling out of control into a new full-fledged war in the Middle East.

Protesters were chanting, “Trump, Pence, out now.”

The anti-war activists were holding banners which read, “No war on Iran! No assassinations! No interventions! No sanctions!”, “No more drones,” “Fight climate change, not Iran,” and “Trump, Pence, out now.”

Amanda, one of the protesters, said, “People in this country need to oppose all war and crimes against humanity.”

“But not just that. We here are part of the ‘Out Now’ movement, we are opposing the war against Iran, on the basis that Trump and Pence are fascists they need to be driven out of the white house,” Amanda added.

Another protester said, “We are against war with Iran, we have made it clear time and time again, that these wars do not benefit anyone except for that people that can profit of them, and American people are very conscious of that.”

Tensions between the US and Iran escalated after Trump ordered the assassination of a top Iranian commander who had played a leading role in the Middle East in the fight against Daesh terrorists.

Fears of a new war in the Middle East emerged following the assassination of General Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) last week.

On Saturday, Trump said that his military would hit “very important” targets, including cultural heritage sites, if the Iranians want to take a retaliatory action against the assassination of Lieutenant General Soleimani.

Early on Wednesday, Iran responded to the assassination of Soleimani, the Middle East’s most prominent anti-terror commander, striking the American airbase of Ain al-Assad in Anbar province in western Iraq and another in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

Meanwhile, a coalition of progressive advocacy groups in the US have called for massive rallies across the country to protest Trump’s “military brinksmanship” against Iran and demand immediate de-escalation of tensions with Tehran.

“We will not be forced into another war,” said the coalition, led by MoveOn, Indivisible, Win Without War, and other groups.

“On Thursday, January 9, at 5 p.m local time, the anti-war majority in this country will get visible to oppose Trump’s war and say #NoWarWithIran,” the coalition said.

As of Wednesday, over 180 protests have been planned across the US, up from just 50 when the protests were first announced Tuesday afternoon.

Culled from Presstv

The United Kingdom has expressed concerns about “reported casualties” following Iran’s attack on two US bases in Iraq carried out to retaliate Washington’s assassination of top Iranian anti-terror commander, Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said that “tens of surface-to-surface missiles” were fired at the US airbase of Ain al-Assad in Anbar province in western Iraq early on Wednesday.

The attack was confirmed by US officials.

Following the incident, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned the strike, calling on Iran not to repeat what he called “reckless and dangerous” strikes.

“We condemn this attack on Iraqi military bases hosting Coalition – including British – forces,” Raab said. “We are concerned by reports of casualties and use of ballistic missiles.”

“We urge Iran not to repeat these reckless and dangerous attacks, and instead to pursue urgent de-escalation.”

The IRGC has called for a complete withdrawal of US troops from the Arab country, asserting that it would not differentiate between the US and Israel in retaliating against the assassination of the Iranian national hero.

“We warn US allies providing bases for the [American] terrorist army… that any country serving as the origin of bellicose and aggressive attacks in any form against the Islamic Republic of Iran will be targeted,” read the IRGC statement.

The Pentagon claimed that it would take necessary measures to protect US military forces amid heightened tensions in the region.

Iran summons UK ambassador over British support for Soleimani’s assassination

On Tuesday, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Robert Macaire, Britain’s ambassador to Tehran, over the support that a number of top UK officials have voiced for the US assassination of General Soleimani.

This came following the unacceptable remarks by the UK prime minister, foreign secretary, and defense secretary about Trump’s order to assassinate Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was the deputy commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and their companions.

In his meeting with Macaire, the Iranian Foreign Minister’s assistant for European affairs strongly condemned UK officials’ remarks, saying the US’ move violated international law and Iraq’s national sovereignty.

Source: Presstv

A Ukrainian plane carrying at least 170 people crashed shortly after take off in Tehran killing all on board, Iran state media reported.

The Boeing 737 had left Tehran’s international airport bound for Kiev, semi-official news agency ISNA said, adding that 10 ambulances were sent to the crash site.

“Obviously it is impossible that passengers” on flight PS-752 are alive, the head of Red Crescent, Morteza Salimi, told semi-official news agency ISNA, adding that 170 passengers and crew had boarded the plane.

State news agency IRNA said 167 passengers and nine crew members had boarded the plane, which was operated by Ukraine International Airlines.

Press TV, state television’s English-language news broadcaster, said the plane went down in the vicinity of Parand, a city in Tehran province.

The crash was likely to have been caused by “technical difficulties”, it reported, citing Ali Khashani, spokesman for Imam Khomeini International Airport.

“The plane caught fire after crashing,” said Press TV. A video aired by the state media broadcaster appeared to show the plane already on fire, falling from the sky.

Iranian state television showed footage from the site of the crash of Red Crescent search and rescue teams scouring an open field with debris strewn across it.

American airline manufacturer Boeing tweeted: “We are aware of the media reports out of Iran and we are gathering more information.”

– Escalating tensions –

The crash came shortly after Iran said it fired missiles at Iraqi bases in revenge for the killing of one of the Islamic republic’s top military commanders in a US drone strike on Friday.

Following the missile strikes, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was banning US-registered carriers from flying over Iraq, Iran and the Gulf after rocket attacks on US forces in Iraq.

“The (FAA) issues Notices to Airmen tonight outlining flight restrictions that prohibit US civil aviation operators from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman,” it said in a statement.

“The FAA will continue closely monitoring events in the Middle East.”

Iran launched the missiles after a US drone strike killed Qasem Soleimani, a hugely popular figure who headed the foreign operations arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “severe revenge” for the assassination and declared three days of mourning following the assassination which shocked the Islamic republic.

The assassination of Soleimani set off an escalating war of words between Iran and the US.

In Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani on Monday warned Trump to “never threaten” Iran, after the US leader issued a US strike list of 52 targets in the Islamic republic.

Source: AFP

Iran launched a missile attack on U.S.-led forces in Iraq in the early hours of Wednesday in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike on an Iranian commander whose killing has raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East.

Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles from its territory against at least two Iraqi facilities hosting U.S.-led coalition personnel at about 1:30 a.m. (2230 GMT), the U.S. military said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a tweet late on Tuesday that an assessment of casualties and damage from the strikes was under way and that he would make a statement on Wednesday morning.

“All is well!” Trump, who visited the al-Asad air base in December 2018, said in the Twitter post.

One source said early indications were of no U.S. casualties. Other U.S. officials declined to comment.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps confirmed they fired the missiles in retaliation for last week’s killing of Qassem Soleimani, according to a statement on state TV.

The force advised the United States to withdraw its troops from the region to prevent more deaths and warned U.S. allies including Israel not to allow attacks from their territories.

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement that the bases targeted were al-Asad air base and another facility in Erbil, Iraq.

“As we evaluate the situation and our response, we will take all necessary measures to protect and defend U.S. personnel, partners, and allies in the region.”

Hours earlier on Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the United States should anticipate retaliation from Iran over Friday’s killing in Iraq of Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force.

“I think we should expect that they will retaliate in some way, shape or form,” he told a news briefing at the Pentagon, adding that such retaliation could be through Iran-backed proxy groups outside of Iran or “by their own hand.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran “took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter”, targeting the bases where the attack against its citizens and senior officials was launched.

“We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression,” he wrote in a post on Twitter.

If the U.S. military was indeed spared casualties, and Iran has completed its threatened retaliation for the U.S. drone strike on Soleimani, as Zarif suggested, there might be an opportunity for Washington and Tehran to seek an off-ramp to their increasingly violent confrontation.

Asian stock markets, which had been roiled by the attack, pared some of their losses after the tweets from Trump and Zarif. U.S. crude prices also retreated after surging almost 5% on worries any conflict could cut oil supplies.

‘We will take revenge’

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it would ban U.S. carriers from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran, the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Singapore Airlines had already diverted all flight routes from Iranian airspace.

Democrats in the U.S. Congress and some of the party’s presidential contenders warned about the escalating conflict.

“Closely monitoring the situation following bombings targeting U.S. troops in Iraq,” U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Twitter. “We must ensure the safety of our service members, including ending needless provocations from the Administration and demanding that Iran cease its violence. America & world cannot afford war.”

Soleimani, a pivotal figure in orchestrating Iran’s long-standing campaign to drive U.S. forces out of Iraq, was also responsible for building up Tehran’s network of proxy armies across the Middle East.

He was a national hero to many Iranians but viewed as a dangerous villain by Western governments opposed to Iran’s arc of influence running across the Levant and into the Gulf region.

A senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that Tehran was considering several scenarios to avenge Soleimani’s death. Other senior figures have said the Islamic Republic would match the scale of the killing when it responds, but that it would choose the time and place.

“We will take revenge, a hard and definitive revenge,” the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, General Hossein Salami, told throngs who crowded the streets for Soleimani’s funeral on Tuesday in Kerman, his hometown in southeastern Iran.

Soleimani’s burial went ahead after several hours of delay following a stampede that killed at least 56 people and injured more than 210, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

Iran TV reported Soleimani was buried after the missile attacks. “His revenge was taken and now he can rest in peace,” it said.

The missiles were launched on Wednesday at the same time that he was killed last on Friday.

Soleimani’s body had been taken to holy Shi’ite Muslim cities in Iraq and Iran, as well as the Iranian capital, Tehran, before arriving to be buried in the city cemetery’s “martyrs section”, according to the semi-official news agency ISNA.

In each place, huge numbers of people filled thoroughfares, chanting: “Death to America” and weeping with emotion. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wept as he led prayers in Tehran.

Prompted by the strong public backlash over Soleimani’s killing on Iraqi soil, lawmakers in Iraq voted on Sunday to demand a removal of all foreign forces from the country.

More than 5,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq along with other foreign forces as part of a coalition that has trained and backed up Iraqi security forces against the threat of Islamic State militants.

Some 115 German soldiers are stationed in Erbil and all are fine, a spokesman for Bundeswehr operations said.

A NATO official told Reuters it would move some of its several hundred trainers out of Iraq. Canada said on Tuesday some of its 500 Iraq-based forces would be temporarily moved to Kuwait for safety reasons.

U.S. officials have said Soleimani was killed because of solid intelligence indicating forces under his command planned attacks on U.S. targets in the region, although they have provided no evidence.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said 13 “revenge scenarios” were being considered, Fars news agency reported. Even the weakest option would prove “a historic nightmare for the Americans”, he said.

(REUTERS)

The administration of US President Donald Trump is in danger of losing control of the crisis unleashed by the assassination of Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, according to US media reports.

“Trump’s claim that the drone strike last week made Americans safer is being challenged by cascading events that appear to leave the US more vulnerable and isolated, CNN reported Monday.

“The Trump administration is already in danger of losing control of the swift chain reaction and political storm” created by the assassination of General Soleimani, the report said.

Several US lawmakers say there was no evidence of an “imminent attack” by Iran.

Congressional Democrats have expressed skepticism towards the evidence the Trump administration has cited to justify the assassination claimed to have been aimed at averting “imminent attack.”

The administration’s basis for the attack also came under renewed suspicion after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN that it was not “relevant” for him to reveal how imminent the attacks on US interests were that Trump said General Soleimani was planning.

America’s allies in Europe have also distanced themselves from Trump’s attack.

And in a new sign of widening gaps between Iraq and the US, Iraq’s Caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said on Sunday General Soleimani was set to deliver Tehran’s reply to an earlier Saudi message regarding de-escalation talks mediated by Baghdad when he was assassinated.

“The deepening fallout over Iran renewed a focus on Trump’s leadership style and the question of how carefully he had considered the consequences of the attack,” CNN said.

The report said the Trump administration is resisting demands by Democratic lawmakers to share the intelligence that prompted the killing of Soleimani.

“It is critical that national security matters of such import be shared with the American people in a timely manner,” says the letter, issued by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“An entirely classified notification is simply not appropriate in a democratic society, and there appears to be no legitimate justification for classifying this notification,” they added.

CNN also said there was alarm within the administration over Trump’s earlier threat to attack “cultural” sites in Iran if Tehran retaliated against the US.

An attack on cultural sites like a religious shrine or historic monument would have civilian casualties, could violate several international treaties and would likely be considered a war crime.

“Nothing rallies people like the deliberate destruction of beloved cultural sites,” one US official told CNN.

“I don’t know what the President’s motivation here is but I think it was a reckless decision that increased the risk to Americans all around the world, not decreased it,” House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff told CNN.

Source: Presstv

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern Monday over rising global discord and called for “maximum restraint” amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran after the United States killed an Iranian military commander.

“The New Year has begun with our world in turmoil,” Guterres said in brief remarks at the UN headquarters in New York.

“We are living in dangerous times. Geopolitical tensions are at their highest level this century. And this turbulence is escalating.”

Guterres did not explicitly mention the rising tensions in the Middle East following the US killing of Qasem Soleimani, head of Iran’s Middle East operations, in a drone strike.

But his remarks appeared aimed, at least in part, at the two sides.

“This cauldron of tensions is leading more and more countries to take unpredicted decisions with unpredictable consequences and a profound risk of miscalculation,” Guterres said.

He added that he had been following the recent rise in global tensions with “great concern” and was in constant contact with leading officials around the world.

“And my message is simple and clear: Stop escalation. Exercise maximum restraint. Re-start dialogue. Renew international cooperation,” he said.

“Let us not forget the terrible human suffering caused by war. As always, ordinary people pay the highest price. It is our common duty to avoid it.”

Reacting to the US airstrike on Friday, a spokesman for Guterres said the secretary-general had “consistently advocated for de-escalation in the Gulf.”

“This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint,” the spokesman said. “The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf.”

The United States on Friday killed Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, in a drone strike on Baghdad’s international airport.

Iran vowed “severe revenge” for Soleimani’s death while US President Donald Trump said there would be “major” US retaliation if Tehran hits back.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Guterres on Monday, the State Department said, to discuss the Middle East and Venezuela, where opposition leader Juan Guaido was re-elected national assembly speaker on Sunday in a hotly disputed vote.

Pompeo voiced his appreciation for Guterres’s “continued diplomatic efforts,” spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.

Source: AFP

Iran announced a further rollback of its commitments to the troubled international nuclear accord Sunday amid anger over the US killing of a top commander. European leaders have urged Tehran to reconsider.

While vast crowds gathered in Iran’s second city of Mashhad as Qasem Soleimani’s remains were returned home, the Tehran government said it would forego the “limit on the number of centrifuges” it had pledged to honour in the 2015 agreement which was already in deep trouble.

The announcement was yet another sign of the fallout from Friday’s killing of Soleimani in Baghdad in a drone strike ordered by President Donald Trump, which has inflamed US-Iraqi relations and stoked fears of an armed conflict between Washington and Tehran.

Iran’s 2015 nuclear accord with the United Nations Security Council’s five permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – plus Germany had been hanging by a thread since the US withdrew unilaterally from it two years ago.

European countries have been pushing for talks with Iran to salvage the deal, inviting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif to Brussels for talks, but the prospect of progress seemed remote after the government’s statement on Sunday night.

“Iran’s nuclear programme no longer faces any limitation in the operational field”, said the statement.

This extends to Iran’s capacity for enriching uranium, the level of enrichment carried out, the amount enriched, and other research and development, it said.

“As of now Iran’s nuclear programme will continue solely based on its technical needs,” it added.

However, Tehran said it would continue cooperating “as before” with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog.

Iran also said it would once again comply with the terms of the 2015 agreement if the US does so too by lifting the sanctions that are crippling the Iranian economy.

European leaders urge Iran to rethink

In a joint statement late on Sunday, the leaders of Germany, France and Britain reacted by urging Iran to rethink its announcement.

“We call on Iran to withdraw all measures that are not in line with the nuclear agreement,” Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a joint statement.

The European leaders also urged Iran to refrain from taking “further violent actions or support for them”.

“It is crucial now to de-escalate. We call on all the players involved to show utmost restraint and responsibility,” the statement added.

>> Understanding the restrictions imposed by the Iran nuclear deal

The Europeans have been among the chorus of voices urging restraint in the aftermath of the drone strike which killed Soleimani, the veteran commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ foreign operations.

But as his remains were paraded through the streets of Mashhad, cries of “Revenge, Revenge” echoed through the streets while mourners threw scarves onto the roof of the truck carrying his coffin.

In Iraq, meanwhile, lawmakers voted in favor of a resolution calling for an end to the foreign military presence in the country, including the estimated 5,200 US troops stationed to help fight Islamic State group extremists.

The bill is subject to approval by the Iraqi government but has the backing of the outgoing prime minister.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)