Iran Reports Arrests Over Ukraine Airliner Shootdown

President Rouhani says shootdown is 'unforgivable,' calls for investigations

With protests continuing in Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called for more investigations into the shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane, saying it was “unforgivable,” and that people need to be held accountable for it.

The Iranian judiciary has reported that an undisclosed number of people have already been arrested for involvement in the shootdown. None of them have been identified yet, nor is it revealed what role they played.

The plane was hit by missiles being fired by the Iranian military. Officials say that there was substantial radar traffic at the time, amid concern of US attacks. Anger over the incident sparked protests at universities over the weekend, and those have grown as Iranian police tried to crack down on them.

The Iranian government almost certainly wants to make a show of quickly holding people accountable, which is likely why arrests are already being reported. At the same time, full investigations into the matter are likely to take some time, and Rouhani’s comments suggest some higher-ranked officials may be punished over it.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.