Iran says it "unintentionally" shot down Ukrainian airplane

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UPDATED ON: JANUARY 12, 2020 / 12:00 AM / CBS NEWS

Iran's Revolutionary Guard acknowledged on Saturday it accidentally shot down a Ukrainian International Airlines passenger jet this week, killing all 176 aboard. The head of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division said his unit accepts "full responsibility."

General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said on state TV that forces were on high alert, and that an officer mistook the plane for a hostile missile and made the "bad decision" to open fire, The Associated Press reported. He said he "wished" he "was dead" when he learned about the downing of the aircraft.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran announced its military "unintentionally" shot down the jetliner and blamed "human error."

The jetliner crashed early Wednesday in the hours after Iran launched missile attacks on two Iraqi military bases housing American troops. The attacks were a response to the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani days earlier.

Rescue teams on January 8, 2020 at the scene of a Ukrainian airliner that crashed shortly after take-off near Imam Khomeini airport in the Iranian capital Tehran.AKBAR TAVAKOLI/GETTY IMAGES

 UPDATED 6:45 PM / JANUARY 11, 2020

British ambassador arrested in Iran, U.S. State Department says

The U.S. State Department said Saturday that the British ambassador to Iran was arrested. "This violates the Vienna Convention, which the regime has a notorious history of violating. We call on the regime to formally apologize to the UK for violating his rights and to respect the rights of all diplomats," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus tweeted.

The arrest occurred during protests in Tehran, according to BBC News. 

In a statement to BBC News, U.K. foreign secretary Dominic Raab said said "the arrest of our ambassador in Tehran without grounds or explanation is a flagrant violation of international law. The Iranian government is at a crossroads moment. It can continue its march toward pariah status with all the political and economic isolation that entails, or take steps to deescalate tensions and engage in a diplomatic path forwards."

BY CAROLINE LINTON

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 UPDATED 1:47 PM / JANUARY 11, 2020

Hundreds protest at universities in Tehran

Hundreds gathered at universities in Tehran Saturday night to protest the government's late acknowledgement of the plane being shot down. They demanded officials involved in the missile attack be removed from their positions and tried. 

Police broke up the demonstrations.

–The Associated Press 

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 12:13 PM / JANUARY 11, 2020

Ukraine's president: "The perpetrators must be held accountable"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a tweet Saturday he spoke with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. 

"I insist on immediately completing identification of the bodies & their return to Ukraine," he said. "The perpetrators must be held accountable."

Володимир Зеленський

✔@ZelenskyyUa

Talked to @HassanRouhani. Acknowledging plane shot down is a step in the right direction. I insist on immediately completing identification of the bodies & their return to Ukraine. The perpetrators must be held accountable. We look forward to further legal & technical cooperation

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10:21 PM - Jan 11, 2020

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