Rockets hit near US Embassy in Iraq after Iran backtracks on plan to send flight recorders to Ukraine
Three rockets have hit near the US embassy in the Iraqi capital’s high-security Green Zone, as tensions with Iran continue to simmer.
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- A downed plane brought us to the brink of war once before
- Shock video shows moment Ukrainian jet shot down
Three rockets hit near the US embassy in the Iraqi capital’s high-security Green Zone, security sources told AFP, with no immediate reports of casualties.
Sirens could be heard across the zone immediately after the rockets made impact.
The US has blamed Iran-backed paramilitary groups for a spate of similar attacks in recent months on the Green Zone, but there has never been a claim of responsibility.
It comes days after Iran dramatically reversed its pledge to send the black box flight recorders from the Ukrainian jet shot down by its Revolutionary Guard to Kiev for analysis.
Less than 24 hours after Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that authorities were prepared to allow experts from France, Canada and the US to examine information from the Ukraine International Airlines plane’s flight data, the Islamic nation did a U-turn that is set to enrage its critics.
The plane was “accidentally” shot down by Iran on January 8, killing all 176 people on board.
“The flight recorders from the Ukrainian Boeing are in Iranian hands and we have no plans to send them out,” said Hassan Rezaeifar, the Iranian official leading the investigation, quoted by the IRNA news agency.
He said Iran was working to recover the data and cabin recordings, and that it may send the black boxes to Ukraine or France.
“But as of yet, we have made no decision.”
Reports have also emerged that the bodies of the 11 Ukrainians who died in the tragedy have arrived home for a farewell ceremony.
Reports have also emerged that the bodies of the 11 Ukrainians who died in the tragedy have arrived home for a farewell ceremony.
AP reported that the Ukrainian bodies were brought to Kyiv’s Boryspil Airport aboard a Ukrainian air force plane. An honor guard solemnly carried the coffins into the airport terminal, where a farewell observance is to last until the evening.
Meanwhile, at least 80 Yemeni soldiers attending prayers at a mosque were killed and 130 others injured in ballistic missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen reported.
The attack happened in the province of Marib at a mosque at a military camp, in what Yemen’s President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi condemned as a “heinous” and “cowardly terrorist operation committed by the Houthis.”
Yemen has been embroiled in a yearslong civil war that has pitted a coalition backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Yet Rezaifar was quoted by the Tasnim news agency just hours before as saying Iran aimed to read the information on the recorders “with the use of the expertise of the countries of France, Canada and America”.
“If this effort is unsuccessful then the black box will be sent to France,” he said, according to Tasnim, adding that black boxes were being sent to Kiev at the request of Ukrainian experts in Tehran and that they would not be inspected in Iran.
Iranian officials have said the black boxes were damaged but are usable.
Speculation emerged that Iran may be hesitant to turn over the recorders for fear that more details from the crash - including the harrowing 20 seconds between when the first and second surface-to-air missiles hit the plane - will come to light.
Iran claims that lower-level Guard officers mistook the plane for a US cruise missile.
Iranian officials initially said the crash was caused by a technical problem and invited countries that lost citizens to help investigate. Three days later, Iran admitted responsibility after Western leaders said there was strong evidence the plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile.
The victims included 57 Canadian citizens as well as 11 Ukrainians, 17 people from Sweden, four Afghans and four British citizens. Most of those killed were Iranians. The other five nations have demanded Iran accept full responsibility and pay compensation to the victims’ families.
The plane was a Boeing 737-800 that was designed and built in the US. The plane’s engine was designed by CFM International, a joint company between French group Safran and U.S. group GE Aviation. Investigators from both countries have been invited to take part in the probe.
AP reported that the Ukrainian bodies were brought to Kyiv’s Boryspil Airport aboard a Ukrainian air force plane. An honor guard solemnly carried the coffins into the airport terminal, where a farewell observance is to last until the evening.
IRAN ‘SPOOKED’ BEFORE JET SHOT DOWN
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Iran’s accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner occurred when Tehran was spooked by reports of advanced US stealth fighters in the area.
“There were at least six (US) F-35 fighters in the air in the Iranian border area (at the time),” Lavrov said.
“This information has yet to be verified, but I’d like to underline the edginess that always accompanies such situations.”
Iran’s downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 last week, which killed all 176 people aboard, has created a crisis for the Islamic Republic’s clerical rulers.
They have faced days of protests after the Iranian military admitted it shot down the plane accidentally.
Mr Lavrov, speaking at his annual news conference in Moscow on Friday, local time, called the incident a human error and said he was not trying to excuse anyone for what happened.
But he said it was important to understand the context and that the incident had occurred hours after an Iranian missile attack on US bases in Iraq, when Iranian forces were braced for some kind of US military retaliation.
“There is information that the Iranians were expecting another attack from the United States after the strike but did not know what form it might take,” Lavrov said.
IRAN LEADER LINES UP TRUMP
That news came as Iran’s supreme leader described US President Donald Trump as a “clown” who only pretends to support Iranians, as he called the Islamic republic’s recent missile attack on US troops in Iraq an “American humiliation.”
According to the New York Post, in his first sermon in Tehran in eight years, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei excoriated the US for its “cowardly” killing of top general Qassem Soleimani, who he said was the most effective commander in the battle against ISIS.
In response to the drone strike, Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting two bases housing US troops in Iraq, without causing serious injuries.
“The fact that Iran has the power to give such a slap to a world power shows the hand of God,” Khamenei said, adding that the killing of Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, showed Washington’s “terrorist nature.”
“The Quds Force is a humanitarian organisation with human values that protects people across the region,” he said. “They are fighters without borders.”
Khamenei, who delivered part of his sermon in Arabic, said the strike had dealt a blow to America’s image as a superpower, adding that the real punishment would be in forcing the US to withdraw from the Middle East.
“Resistance must continue until the region is completely freed from the enemy’s tyranny,” Khamenei said.
As Iran’s Revolutionary Guard braced for a US counter-attack that never came, it mistakenly shot down the Ukrainian airliner shortly after it took off from Tehran,
“The plane crash was a bitter accident, it burned through our heart,” Khamenei said in an address punctuated by cries of “Death to America” from the masses.
“But some tried to … portray it in a way to forget the great martyrdom and sacrifice” of Soleimani, the head of the foreign operations arm of the Revolutionary Guards, he said, adding that the elite force can take its fight beyond Iran’s borders.
Threats made by Iran will only further isolate the country, the top US envoy for Iran said on Friday, after Tehran’s latest threats.
“As long as the regime threatens the world it will become more isolated,” Brian Hook, U.S. Special representative for Iran, told reporters in a briefing.
“Until Iran behaves like a normal nation its isolation will only deepen,” he said.
STREET PROTESTS ERUPT IN IRAN
Iran initially denied its role in the tragedy, blaming the crash on a technical problem, but later admitted responsibility.
As a result, street protests erupted around the country, prompting security forces to disperse the crowds with live ammo and tear gas.
Mr Trump sent tweets in Farsi and English to support the protesters, drawing a sharp response from Khamenei.
“These American clowns who lie and say they are with the Iranian people should see who the Iranian people are,” he said.
Khamenei also lashed out at Britain, France and Germany, saying they are too weak to bring Iranians to their knees after they triggered a dispute mechanism to try and bring Iran back into compliance with the unravelling 2015 nuclear agreement.
“After the US exited the deal, I told you then that these countries cannot be trusted. Even their negotiations with Iran are full of deceit,” he said.
But, he added, he was still open to negotiation — just not with the US.
“The gentlemen behind the desks that negotiate are the same as the ones that terrorised Gen. Soleimani,” said Khamenei, 80, who openly wept at the funeral of the revered military commander.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have spiked since Mr Trump withdrew the US from the nuclear deal with world powers, which had imposed restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.
After Soleimani was killed, Iran announced it would no longer be bound by the limitations in the agreement.
It comes after Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda demanded Britain’s ambassador to Iran be “chopped to pieces” and an effigy of the envoy was burned in Tehran by hard-line protesters.
The chilling outburst has sparked concern for Rob Macaire’s safety, The Sun reports.
The ambassador has been at the centre of a diplomatic storm between Whitehall and Tehran after he was arrested while attending a vigil for the downed Ukrainian airliner that killed 176 including four Brits.
In a rabble-rousing speech, Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda told hundreds of followers: “Some say the UK Ambassador must be expelled. Expelling the UK ambassador is the greatest act of kindness toward him. It would be a pardon.
“No. The UK Ambassador must be chopped into pieces”.
Britain’s Foreign Office said Mr Macaire would return to Iran “in the coming days”.
‘NO LIMIT’ ON URANIUM
Meanwhile, Iran’s president says there is “no limit” to the country’s uranium enrichment ambitions now that it has abandoned its commitments under the 2015 international nuclear deal.
In a speech before the heads of banks, President Hassan Rouhani said the nuclear program is in a “better situation” than it was before the nuclear agreement with world powers.
He also acknowledged the steadily rising tensions with the United States. “A single bullet can cause a war, and not shooting a single bullet can lead to peace,” he said, adding that his administration is seeking greater security.
So far, Iran has only modestly increased its nuclear activity, boosting its enrichment of uranium to 4.5 per cent, higher than the 3.67 per cent limit set by the agreement but far from the 90 per cent enrichment required to build a nuclear weapon.
President Rouhani told his banking audience that the tightened US sanctions imposed by Mr Trump had caused economic pain.
But he said economic considerations could not be separate from foreign policy and national security, indicating that Iran will not give in to sweeping demands by the United States.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump welcomed Boris Johnson’s call for him to negotiate a new deal with the Iranian regime to stop it building a nuclear arsenal.
The US President tweeted: “Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, @BorisJohnson, stated, “We should replace the Iran deal with the Trump deal.” I agree!”
CALL FOR ‘UNITY’ AS IRAN FACES RADICAL CHANGE
President Hassan Rouhani has appealed for “unity” and flagged the need for radical changes to the way Iran is run, after a wave of angry protests over the accidental downing of THE Ukrainian airliner.
The Kiev-bound Boeing 737 was shot down in a catastrophic error shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard.
One week on from the disaster, Mr Rouhani called for “national unity” in remarks broadcast live on state television.
“If there was a delay” by the armed forces to release information about what happened, “let them apologise,” he said.
Mr Rouhani also sought a full explanation after it took Iran days to admit the airliner had been mistakenly shot down.
The blunder sparked four consecutive nights of protests in Tehran calling for those responsible to resign or be prosecuted, leading to at least 30 arrests.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said they were demonstrating after being deceived for days.
“In Iran … people can state their views. Sometimes they state their views in excessive ways, sometimes the reaction is excessive,” he said in New Delhi.
“But the fact of the matter is, (over the) last few nights we’ve had people in the streets of Tehran, demonstrating against the fact that they were lied to for a couple of days.”
ROCKET FIRED AT MILITARY BASE IN IRAQ
The call came after a rocket was fired at a military base north of Bagdad, which houses US-led military forces.
Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds confirmed all Australian personnel were safe and accounted for when the attacked happened at the Taji military camp.
I am aware of a rocket attack in the vicinity of the #Taji military base, Iraq. All Australian personnel have been accounted for & are safe. At the time of the attack there were no Australians in the immediate vicinity. The safety of our service men & women is our utmost priority
— Linda Reynolds (@lindareynoldswa) January 15, 2020
Police and medical sources told AFP two Iraqi personnel members were wounded in the attack.
The incident is just one of several recently, where a number of rockets have slammed into Iraqi bases, including the Al-Balad air base, injuring two Iraqi officers and two airmen on January 12.
The attack also comes after a number of arrests over the missile attacking a plane in Iran last week, including the person who filmed and released a video of it.
The individual has been arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp – according to Iranian media outlets affiliated with the Guards – as the video undercut the military’s initial denials about Iran being responsible for the crash.
The military initially blamed mechanical failure for the crash.
However, it acknowledged on Saturday – three days after the incident and in the face of mounting evidence – the Revolutionary Guard had shot down the plane by mistake.
A number of arrests have been made since, amid an upswell of anger and protests by Iranians.
That came after new footage circulated on social media, showing two separate missile launches targeting the flight, PS752, on January 8.
While the video, confirmed by Storyful, shows 30 seconds between the missile launches, the munitions explode 23 seconds apart, which the team believes is likely due to the PS752 flying closer to the launch site in the interim.
Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said “extensive investigations have taken place and some individuals are arrested.”
His statement on the judiciary’s website did not say how many individuals had been detained or name them.
Iran’s president also called for a special court to be set up to probe the incident.
“The judiciary should form a special court with a ranking judge and dozens of experts,” President Hassan Rouhani said in a speech televised in Iran.
“This is not an ordinary case. The entire world will be watching this court.”
Rouhani called the incident “a painful and unforgivable” mistake and promised that his administration would pursue the case “by all means.”
“The responsibility falls on more than just one person,” he said, adding that those found culpable “should be punished.”
“There are others, too, and I want that this issue is expressed honestly,” he said, without elaborating.
EU COUNTRIES V IRAN ON NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Three EU countries have launched a process charging Iran with failing to observe the terms of the 2015 deal curtailing its nuclear program.
The move has sparked anger and threats from Tehran, and it is one Russia has also condemned, warning it risked causing a “new escalation”.
Britain, France and Germany insist they remain committed to the agreement, which has been tested by the US exit from the accord in 2018.
The foreign ministers of the three European nations said Iran had been progressively scaling back its commitments under the deal since May last year.
“We have therefore been left with no choice, given Iran’s actions,” to begin the dispute process, their statement said.
The Russian foreign minister said in a statement: “We do not rule out that the thoughtless actions of the Europeans could lead to a new escalation around the Iranian nuclear accord.”
TRUDEAU SLAMS TRUMP
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the victims of the Ukrainian jetliner, including 57 Canadians would be alive right now if tensions had not escalated in the region.
Mr Trudeau had been careful until then to avoid blaming the US President for the deaths of the passengers, after Mr Trump ordered the killing of Gen. Soleimani in a US air strike in Baghdad.
“If there was no escalation recently in the region, those Canadians would be right now home with their families. This is something that happens when you have conflict and the war. Innocents bear the brunt of it,” Mr Trudeau said in an interview with Global News Television.
Some Canadians including a leading corporate leader in the country blame Mr Trump in part for the deaths.
Mr Trudeau has spoken to Mr Trump.
“I’ve talked about the tremendous grief and loss that Canadians are feeling and the need for clear answers on how this happened and how we’re going to make sure it never happens again,” Mr Trudeau said.
Mr Trudeau added that he would have “obviously” liked a warning before Mr Trump ordered the killing of the Iranian general.
Canada has troops in Iraq as part of a NATO training mission.
Mr Trudeau said is there is anger directed at Iran.
“There is a demand for justice. And that is entirely to be expected and should be heeded very carefully by the Iranian government,” Mr Trudeau said.
CLEAN-UP AT MILITARY BASE
Earlier, American troops cleared debris and rubble from an area the size of a football stadium at the military base in western Iraq that was hit by Iranian air strikes.
Media touring the facility saw damaged military trailers as well as forklifts lifting rubble and loading it onto trucks.
“There were more than 10 large missiles fired and the impact hit several areas along the airfield,” said Colonel Myles Caggins, a spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
He added that the explosions at the base, which is about 177 kilometres west of Baghdad, created large craters, knocked over concrete barriers and destroyed facilities that house dozens of soldiers.
The Ain al-Asad base was first used by American forces after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and later saw American troops stationed there amid the fight against ISIS.
US President Trump visited the sprawling air base in December 2018, making his first presidential visit to troops in the region. Vice President Pence has also visited the base.
US Army Lt Colonel Antoinette Chase told reporters the night of the attacks the troops were in bunkers but could “feel everything shaking.”
“I had zero casualties and everybody is alive to tell the tale. So as far as I’m concerned, I couldn’t be happier and I couldn’t be prouder of the actions that the soldiers and the coalition forces took that night,” she added.
CHILLING FOOTAGE SHOWS PROTESTERS RUNNING FROM BULLETS
Iranian police and security forces fired both live ammunition and tear gas to disperse demonstrators protesting against the Islamic Republic’s initial denial that it shot down the Ukrainian jetliner.
This comes after Mr Trump issued a warning to Iran – “DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS”.
International rights groups already have called on Iran to allow people to protest peacefully as allowed by the country’s constitution.
“After successive national traumas in a short time period, people should be allowed to safely grieve and demand accountability,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the New York-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran.
“Iranians shouldn’t have to risk their lives to exercise their constitutional right to peaceful assembly.”
Videos later verified by The Associated Press show a crowd of demonstrators fleeing as a tear gas canister landed among them. People coughed and spluttered while trying to escape the fumes, with one woman calling out in Farsi: “They fired tear gas at people! Azadi Square. Death to the dictator!”
Another video shows a woman being carried away in the aftermath as a blood trail can be seen on the ground. Those around her cry out that she has been shot by live ammunition in the leg.
“Oh my God, she’s bleeding non-stop!” one person shouts. Another shouts: “Bandage it!”
Photos and video after the incident show pools of blood on the sidewalk. Riot police in black uniforms and helmets gathered earlier in Vali-e Asr Square, at Tehran University and other landmarks.
Revolutionary Guard members patrolled the city on motorbikes, and plainclothes security men were also out in force. People looked down as they walked briskly past police, apparently trying not to draw attention to themselves.
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OLYMPIAN FAREWELLS IRAN
Meanwhile, Iran’s only female Olympic medallist has reportedly defected, posting a goodbye letter to Iran, calling out the government’s “hypocrisy” as she announced she had permanently left the country.
“Should I start with hello, goodbye, or condolences?” Taekwondo athlete, Kimia Alizadeh, 21, posted on her Instagram in Farsi, Agence France-Presse reported.
Alizadeh did not disclose where she was going, but Iran’s ISNA news agency reported she had gone to the Netherlands, according to AFP. The Iranian report quoted Alizadeh’s coach as saying the athlete was injured and did not show up for trials ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Originally published as Rockets hit near US Embassy in Iraq after Iran backtracks on plan to send flight recorders to Ukraine