This archive report was first published on 12 January 2020.
Iran's admission that it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian airliner has sparked widespread anger and protests in the country.
On Sunday, the top commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Major General Hossein Salami, briefed parliament on the downing of the plane, which killed all 176 people aboard, including many students and Canadians.
The military had initially denied Western claims that the plane was downed by a missile, but on Saturday, President Hassan Rouhani said a military probe had found that 'missiles fired due to human error' brought down the Boeing 737.
The Guards' aerospace commander, General Amirali Hajizadeh, accepted full responsibility for the tragedy.
As public anger grew, state television aired interviews with people who it said 'have not forgotten everything the Guards have done for the country.'
Meanwhile, Britain's ambassador to Tehran, Rob Macaire, was temporarily arrested on Saturday after he left a vigil for the air disaster victims that turned into a protest.
Macaire denied attending the demonstration, saying he had been detained half an hour after leaving the area.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran against cracking down on protesters, saying 'there can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters, nor an internet shutdown.'
