Iran announces first arrests
European powers put Iran nuclear deal into dispute
New Trump deal can replace the Iran nuclear pact: UK PM
Wednesday’s shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, killing all 176 people aboard, has led to one of the biggest public challenges to Iran’s clerical rulers since they took power in the 1979 Islamic revolution.
In a step that would increase diplomatic pressure, Britain, France and Germany launched a dispute mechanism to challenge Iran for breaching limits on its nuclear programme under an agreement which Washington abandoned in 2018.
In the 10 days since the US killed Iran’s most powerful military commander in a drone strike, Tehran has faced escalating confrontation with the West and unrest at home, both reaching levels with little precedent in its modern history.
Protesters, many of them students, have since held daily demonstrations chanting “Clerics get lost!” and called for the removal of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in power for more than 30 years.
The judiciary said 30 people had been detained in the unrest but said the authorities would show tolerance towards “legal protests”.
President Hassan Rouhani promised a thorough investigation into the “unforgivable error” of shooting down the plane, in a television address yesterday, the latest in a series of apologies from a leadership that rarely admits mistakes, reports Reuters.
He called for a special court to be set up with a ranking judge and dozens of experts to investigate the “tragic event”.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday night victims of the jetliner would still be alive if not for a recent escalation of tensions partly triggered by the US.
“I think if there were no tensions, if there was no escalation recently in the region, those Canadians would be right now home with their families,” Trudeau said in an interview with Global television, according to a transcript shared with other media.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday he would be willing to work on a “Trump deal” to replace an international accord designed to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, reports AFP.
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