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Sabtu, 11 Januari 2020

Iran admits to shooting down plane unintentionally: Live updates - CNN International

The black box recordings of the downed Ukrainian airliner will be downloaded in France, the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization’s Accident Investigation board said on Saturday, according to state media.

Although Iran made use of all its facilities to examine the content of the black box inside the country, the content will be sent to France so that any possible damage to the data would be avoided, Hassan Rezaeifar told state news agency IRNA.

Rezaeifar said Iran asked Canada, France and the US to bring their software and hardware equipment to Tehran to download the data of the black box of the Ukrainian plane, but they did not accept Iran's proposal, according to IRNA.

Then, Iran asked Ukraine, Sweden, Britain, Canada, and the US to send the black box to an impartial laboratory -- and France was the only one all five countries agreed on, he said.

The decision to send the black box over to France was made before Saturday’s statement from the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, which admitted to downing the Ukrainian airliner, according to IRNA.

No details were provided as to when Iran will send the black box over.

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2020-01-11 10:53:00Z
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Iran admits to shooting down plane unintentionally: Live updates - CNN International

Then, Iran asked Ukraine, Sweden, Britain, Canada, and the US to send the black box to an impartial laboratory -- and France was the only one all five countries agreed on, he said.

No details were provided as to when Iran will send the black box over.

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Iran Says Downing of Plane Was ‘Disastrous Mistake’: Live Updates - The New York Times

Here’s what you need to know:

Video player loading — The New York Times has obtained and verified video showing the moment a Ukrainian airliner was hit in Iran.CreditCredit...Screenshot from video

Iran says it accidentally shot down Flight 752.

After maintaining for days that there was no evidence that one of its missiles had struck a Boeing 737-800 minutes after it took off from Tehran on Wednesday with 176 people on board, Iran admitted early on Saturday that its military had accidentally shot down the passenger jet.

The military blamed human error. In a statement, it said the plane had taken a sharp, unexpected turn that brought it near a sensitive military base.

In post on Twitter, Iran’s foreign minister, Mohamad Javad Zarif, apologized but appeared to blame American “adventurism” for the tragedy, writing: “Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster.”

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had been informed about the accidental shooting down, said information should be publicly announced after a meeting of Iran’s top security body, the semiofficial Fars news agency said on Twitter.

President Hassan Rouhani said on Twitter that Iran “deeply regrets this disastrous mistake.”

In a statement cited by the semiofficial Fars News Agency, the president offered condolences to the victims’ families and said that “the terrible catastrophe should be thoroughly investigated.” He added that those responsible for “this unforgivable mistake” would be identified and “prosecuted.”

But he also said that in an environment of military threats and terror by the United States’ “aggressive” government against the people of Iran, and facing the possibility of American military strikes on Iran, the armed forces made a “human mistake and misfired” and “it led to a big catastrophe and innocent people were killed.”

“This painful incident is not something we can easily overcome,” he added, saying that was imperative to is correct any shortcomings in the country’s defense mechanism and ensure such a tragedy would not happen again.

Ukraine’s president wants ‘a full admission of guilt.’

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, in his first reaction to Iran’s announcement, said Kyiv would “insist on a full admission of guilt” by Tehran.

“We expect Iran to assure its readiness for a full and open investigation, to bring those responsible to justice, to return the bodies of the victims, to pay compensation, and to make official apologies through diplomatic channels,” Mr. Zelensky said in a post on his Facebook page. “We hope that the investigation will continue without artificial delays and obstacles.”

Mr. Zelensky had come under domestic criticism this week for refusing to publicly blame Iran for the disaster even as the United States, Canada and Britain did. Instead, he dispatched a team of specialists to Tehran who sought to work alongside Iranians in studying the crash site. He implored the public to avoid speculating about the cause of the disaster.

Iran’s announcement on Saturday vindicated Mr. Zelensky’s cautious approach, said Ivan Yakovina, a columnist for the Kyiv-based magazine Novoye Vremya. “If there had been threats from Ukraine, then I believe Iran wouldn’t have allowed the specialists to do their jobs and generally would have refused to admit guilt,” he said.

Iranians reacted with anger and sorrow toward their government.

Iranians expressed fury in the first hours after the admission. Even conservatives and supporters of the government accused the authorities of having intentionally misled the public about what had brought down the plane, whose passengers included many young Iranians on their way to Canada for graduate study.

The semiofficial Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, posted a harsh commentary condemning Iran’s leaders, saying “their shortcomings have made this tragedy twice as bitter.”

“It is pivotal that those who were hiding the truth from the public for the past 72 hours be held accountable, we cannot let this go,” it read.

“Individuals, media, political and military officials who commented in the past 72 hours must be investigated. If they knew of the truth and were deliberately speaking falsehood or for any reason were trying to hide it, they must be prosecuted, no matter what post they hold.”

Flights In and Out of Tehran Continued After Missile Strikes and Plane Crash

Planes took off after Iran’s missile strikes on bases in Iraq, and even after a Ukrainian plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

“I’m thinking of the little trust left that was shattered. I’m thinking of the innocent lives lost because of confronting and being stubborn with the world. What have you done with us?”

Mohamad Saeed Ahadian, a conservative analyst in Iran, said on Twitter, “There are two major problems with the Ukrainian Airlines issue. One is firing at an airplane and two is firing at the public’s trust. The first can be justified but the latter is a mistake with absolutely no justification.”

Some social media posts made use of the term “harsh revenge,” which Iran’s leaders had promised to inflict on the United States for the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a top Revolutionary Guards commander, in a drone strike last week.

Mojtaba Fathi, an Iranian journalist, wrote on Twitter, “They were supposed to take their harsh revenge against America, not the people.”

Mohsen Moghadaszadeh, a cleric from Qom, tweeted: “If there were loved ones of the highest officials on that plane would you have committed a similar mistake? If the answer is yes then your apology is accepted. If no then apology is not enough.”

Western nations had already concluded that Tehran was to blame.

International pressure had been building on Iran to take responsibility. American and allied officials had said that all intelligence assessments indicated that surface-to-air missiles fired by Iranian military forces had shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.

There was no immediate reaction from the United States to Iran’s admission, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been the first American official to publicly confirm the intelligence assessments.

“We do believe that it’s likely that the plane was shot down by an Iranian missile,” Mr. Pompeo said at a briefing at the White House announcing new sanctions against Iran on Friday. “We’re going to let the investigation play out before we make a final determination. It’s important that we get to the bottom of it.”

The crash occurred days after the American drone strike that killed General Suleimani and an Iraqi militia leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, as they left the airport in Baghdad. The general’s killing sent shock waves through the Middle East and led to calls for revenge in Iran, as well as a vote by Iraq’s Parliament to oust American troops from that country.

Iran responded to the drone strike by firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at two American bases in Iraq. But the missiles caused little damage and no American or Iraqi casualties, President Trump and Iraqi officials said.

Farnaz Fassihi, Anton Troianovski and Andrew Kramer contributed reporting.

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2020-01-11 08:59:00Z
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Live Updates: Iran Says Downing of Plane Was ‘Disastrous Mistake’ - The New York Times

Here’s what you need to know:

Iran says it accidentally shot down Flight 752.

The military blamed human error. In a statement, it said the plane had taken a sharp, unexpected turn that brought it near a sensitive military base.

President Hassan Rouhani said on Twitter that Iran “deeply regrets this disastrous mistake.”

Ukraine’s president wants ‘a full admission of guilt.’

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, in his first reaction to Iran’s announcement, said Kyiv would “insist on a full admission of guilt” by Tehran.

Mr. Zelensky came under domestic criticism this week for refusing to publicly blame Iran for the disaster even as the United States, Canada and Britain did. Instead, Mr. Zelensky dispatched a team of specialists to Tehran who sought to work alongside Iranians in studying the crash site. He implored the public to avoid speculating about the cause of the disaster.

Iranians reacted with anger toward their government.

“It is pivotal that those who were hiding the truth from the public for the past 72 hours be held accountable, we cannot let this go,” it read. “Individuals, media, political and military officials who commented in the past 72 hours must be investigated. If they knew of the truth and were deliberately speaking falsehood or for any reason were trying to hide it, they must be prosecuted, no matter what post they hold.”

Flights In and Out of Tehran Continued After Missile Strikes and Plane Crash

Planes took off after Iran’s missile strikes on bases in Iraq, and even after a Ukrainian plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

Siamak Ghaesmi, a Tehran-based economist, addressed the country’s leaders in an Instagram post: “I don’t know what to do with my rage and grief. I’m thinking of all the ‘human errors’ in these years that were never revealed because there was no international pressure. I’m thinking of the little trust left that was shattered. I’m thinking of the innocent lives lost because of confronting and being stubborn with the world. What have you done with us?”

Mojtaba Fathi, an Iranian journalist, wrote on Twitter, “They were supposed to take their harsh revenge against America, not the people.”

Western nations had already concluded that Tehran was to blame.

The crash occurred days after the American drone strike that killed General Suleimani and an Iraqi militia leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, as they left the airport in Baghdad.

The general’s killing sent shock waves through the Middle East and led to calls for revenge in Iran, as well as a vote by Iraq’s Parliament to oust American troops from that country. Iran responded to the drone strike by firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at two American bases in Iraq. But the missiles caused little damage and no American or Iraqi casualties, President Trump and Iraqi officials said.

Farnaz Fassihi, Anton Troianovski and Andrew Kramer contributed reporting.

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Iran says Ukrainian passenger plane was shot down unintentionally in fear of US aggression - CNN

In a statement, the nation's armed forces said it targeted the passenger plane unintentionally. It attributed the crash to radar activity and fear of US action.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake. My thoughts and prayers go to all the mourning families," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said.

Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 crashed Wednesday after takeoff from Tehran's airport. The crash came hours after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi military bases housing US troops in retaliation for a drone strike at Baghdad airport that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.

After the missile operation in Iraq, US military flights around Iranian borders increased and Iranian military officials reported seeing aerial targets coming toward strategic centers, according to a statement by Iranian armed forces headquarters.

"The aircraft came close to a sensitive IRGC military center at an altitude and flight condition that resembled hostile targeting. Under these circumstances, the aircraft was unintentionally hit, which unfortunately resulted in death of the many Iranian and foreign nationals," the statement reads.

The victims include 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British nationals.

"Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted.

People stand near the wreckage after a Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers crashed near Imam Khomeini airport.

Those responsible will be prosecuted

Following Iran's announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Iran to provide a "full admission of guilt," in a statement posted on his official Facebook page.

"We expect that Iran assures its readiness to have a full and open investigation, bring those responsible to justice, return of the bodies of the deceased, pay compensations, issues official apologies through diplomatic channels," the statement said.

Rouhani said in a statement released by his office Saturday that those responsible for taking down the plane will be prosecuted.

"Further investigation is needed to identify all the causes and roots of this tragedy and prosecute the perpetrators of this unforgivable mistake and inform the honorable people of Iran and the families of the victims about it," Rouhani said.

"It is also necessary to adopt the required arrangements and measures to address the weaknesses of the country's defense systems to make sure such a disaster is never repeated," he added.

Iran concedes the 'big lie' is true

Iran had previously denied US claims that the country had struck down the plane accidentally.

A US official familiar with the intelligence said the aircraft was downed by two Russian-made SA-15 surface-to-air missiles. The US saw Iranian radar signals lock onto the jetliner before it was shot down.

"No one will assume responsibility for such a big lie once it is known that the claim had been fraudulent," government spokesman Ali Rabiei said in a statement earlier Friday, according to state-run Press TV.

Iranian authorities are in possession of the two flight data recorders, also known as black boxes, which Ukrainian investigators got access to Friday. They have yet to start examining the information, but have said it included communications between the pilot and Tehran flight control.

Photos of crash site of Ukrainian plane.

Death of general escalates tension

Tensions between the US and Iran escalated last week after US President Donald Trump ordered a precision strike that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.

Soleimani was plotting "imminent and sinister attacks" on Americans, Trump said, adding that the action was taken to stop a war.

The Pentagon blamed Soleimani and his Quds Force for attacks on coalition bases in Iraq in recent months, including the December 27 strike that killed an American contractor and Iraqi personnel. He was also blamed for the US Embassy attack in Baghdad on December 31. The Pentagon said in addition to the hundreds killed in his time as a commander, thousands more were wounded.

Tensions between the US and Iran have complicated the investigation. US government investigators, for example, cannot fly into Tehran and meet with government officials without a license. That prohibition is due to longstanding sanctions rather than the most recent events, according to two US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Friday that Trump was authorizing yet more sanctions on Iran.

CNN's Nicole Gaouette, Hamdi Alkhshali, Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr, Nicole Gaouette, Hamdi Alkhshali, Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr, Eliza Mackintosh, Jonny Hallam and Radina Gigova contributed to this report.

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2020-01-11 07:43:00Z
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Jumat, 10 Januari 2020

Iraqi government asks US to set mechanisms for 'safe withdrawal of troops from Iraq' - CNN

The request puts additional pressure on the United States after the Iraqi parliament voted Sunday for a plan to end the US troop presence in Iraq in a rebuke of the targeted airstrike on Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani last week -- even after attempts by the US to staunch the vote.

State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement that the US wants to focus on the US-Iraq partnership, not troop withdrawal.

"At this time, any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to discussing how to best recommit to our strategic partnership—not to discuss troop withdrawal, but our right, appropriate force posture in the Middle East," Ortagus said.

US officials tried to convince Iraqi leaders to prevent the parliamentary vote from occurring Sunday, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. Despite US officials claiming it would be harmful for Iraq to follow through on such a move and hold the vote at all, ultimately the argument fell flat.

The Iraqi Prime Minister also complained to Pompeo during a phone call Thursday that "there are American forces entering Iraq and American drones in its sky without permission from the Iraqi government, and that this is violation of the agreements between the two countries," the statement said.

Pompeo promised "to follow up on the matter and affirmed his country's respect for Iraq sovereignty," according to the statement.

The State Department said in a statement Thursday that the two leaders spoke and Pompeo reiterated the United States' condemnation of the Iranian missile attack on the Iraqi bases housing US troops earlier in the week.

The request to facilitate a troop withdrawal comes after President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened sanctions on Iraq should US troops be expelled from the country.

"If they do ask us to leave, if we don't do it in a very friendly basis, we will charge them sanctions like they've never seen before ever," Trump said aboard Air Force One, according to a pool report. "It'll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame."

Trump said the costs of maintaining an American troop presence in the country over the past many years should be repaid by Iraq if the country chooses to rescind the agreement allowing them to stay.

"We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that's there. It cost billions of dollars to build. Long before my time. We're not leaving unless they pay us back for it," Trump said.

CNN's Jenny Hansler, Kylie Atwood, Kevin Liptak and Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.

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2020-01-10 14:55:00Z
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Iran's UN ambassador says missile strikes weren't intended to kill Americans - CNN

Vice President Mike Pence has said the administration believes the strikes "were intended to kill Americans," though some administration officials have suggested to CNN that although Iran could have directed their missiles to hit areas that were populated by Americans, they intentionally did not. There were no US casualties as a result of the attacks.

"We said before we took our military action that we would choose the timing and the place, and we chose the place where the attack against (Iranian general Qasem) Soleimani was initiated," Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi told CNN's John Berman on "New Day" Friday when asked about Pence's comments. "And we do not consider a high number of casualties as an instrumental element in our calculations."

When pressed as to whether they tried to avoid killing Americans, Ravanchi said that he could not describe exactly what happened.

"I'm not a military man, I cannot tell you exactly what was going on. But what I can tell you is that the target was chosen in order to show that we are capable of hitting the target where the plan to kill Soleimani was organized," he said, adding that "we are not interested, we are not looking after killing Americans within this operation."

Ravanchi also indicated that while the strikes "concluded that phase of our military action against the US forces," Iran would not be ensuring that groups -- such as Hezbollah or Iraqi militias loyal to the country -- will stand down barring further US action.

"We are not responsible for any action that others might take," he said. "It is not our job to say that this gentleman or that gentleman should do this or should not do this."

When pressed on whether Iran would not ask Iraqi militias to refrain from attacking Americans, Ravanchi replied, "It is not our job to ask this group or that group -- we are responsible for whatever action we take."

Last week's US strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani sharply escalated tensions between the two longtime adversaries, culminating in this week's missile attacks on the Iraqi bases. President Donald Trump has since indicated a de-escalation of the crisis, though he has promised a further ratcheting up of economic sanctions against Iran.

CNN's Kylie Atwood, Pamela Brown, Kaitlan Collins, Jim Sciutto, Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr and Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.

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2020-01-10 14:22:00Z
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