Iran admits to unintentionally shooting down Ukrainian plane

No American or coalition forces were present at the Balad Air Base in Iraq at the time of the attack today, according to a US military official.

Eight Katyusha rockets hit the base, wounding four Iraqi air force officers, according to a statement released by the Iraqi military.

During an open session of Iran’s parliament in Tehran today, Hossein Salami, the chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), apologized for the mistake committed by the country’s defense system for shooting down a Ukrainian passenger plane. 

The IRGC commander added: “In my all lifetime I haven’t been as sorry as much as now. Never.”

“I wish I had been on board and burned with them,” Salami said. “May God forgive us and then after than Iranian people and the family of the victims forgive us. And we for this incident, we were determined all the more to make it up.”

Eight Katyusha rockets hit Iraq’s Balad Air Base today, wounding four Iraqi air force officers, according to a statement released by the Iraqi military.

Balad Air Base hosts US troops and foreign contractors. It is located about 46 miles north of Baghdad.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed the US for the “current turbulent situation” and called for the strengthening of relations between countries in the region, in excerpts of a statement posted today.

According to excerpts posted on Khamenei’s official website following a meeting with Qatar’s leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Iran’s Supreme Leader said.

House Intelligence Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff responded to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper’s interview, calling Esper’s characterization of the classified briefing on Iran “just plain wrong,” Schiff said “On Face the Nation” this morning.

Schiff went on to say there was no discussion of their being four embassies under threat and the he doesn’t recall the briefers giving any specifics about a plotted attack on the US embassy in Baghdad.  

Schiff said that Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are “overstating and exaggerating what the intelligence shows,” warning that is dangerous. Schiff said that other members of the “Gang of Eight” were unsatisfied with the evidence the administration presented suggesting attacks were imminent.   

Other topics discussed: The interview briefly touched on impeachment, dodging a question on whether he will be one of the House’s impeachment managers, saying it is Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision and that he will play whatever role she has planned for him. Schiff also said the House is “considering” subpoenaing John Bolton, President Trump’s former national security adviser, to testify. 

Iranian mourners stand on a bridge during the final stage of funeral processions for slain top general Qasem Soleimani, in his hometown Kerman on Jan. 7.

Iran’s recent strike on US forces at the Iraqi al-Asad base “means that all American bases are a target,” Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said during a live televised speech today.

“I am sure his (Trump) advisers told him if you strike Iran, they will strike all of our bases in the region…we are not able to protect to them,” Nasrallah said.

Nasrallah said President Trump “lied to his people” when he stated that Iran was planning to target American embassies saying Soleimani “was not planning to bomb American embassies.”

Nasrallah went on to say the strike on al-Asad base was a “slap, not the answer,” to the killing of Qasem Soleimani. 

Nasrallah praised Soleimani for his role in the “resistance,” including in Lebanon, noting that the Iranian commander quickly learned Arabic to communicate with Hezbollah and said he had an instrumental role to play in the conflict with Israel during the 2000s.

Around 150 people gathered for a pro-regime demonstration outside the main gate of Tehran University today, one day after social media videos appeared to show thousands of protesters chanting anti-regime slogans in the aftermath of Iran’s admission that it mistakenly shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight #PS752, an eyewitness told CNN.

The pro-government protesters also performed congregational prayers, the eyewitness said.  

A second eyewitness said he heard the crowd chanting slogans in support of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a key target of protester anger during Saturday’s protests. 

The same eyewitness said that regular police, riot police, Revolutionary Guard, and plain clothes officers were all seen stationed near Amirkabir University and are going in and out of nearby streets. 

Night is falling in Tehran and it is unclear whether there will be a second night of anti-regime protestors. 

Thousands of anti-government protesters gathered on Saturday outside the gates of Amir Kabir University, near the former US embassy in Tehran, to denounce the plane crash the government had blamed on human error and “US adventurism.” 

In a video posted on social media, protesters chanted for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down and for those responsible for downing the plane to be prosecuted. “Death to the dictator,” some chanted. In one video, demonstrators chanted, “Khamenei have shame. Leave the country.”

Security forces have been deployed in key areas of the capital, including Azadi Square near Sharif University, Engelab (Revolution) Square near Tehran University, and Ferdousi Square near some

Fully equipped riot police were on patrol, accompanied by water cannons and long black vehicles that are sometimes used as mobile detention centers.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper believes, as the President also said, that four US embassies were being targeted by the Iranians for attack but said he couldn’t discuss any intelligence that the US had regarding that threat, Esper told CNN’s “State of the Union” today.

 American officials have said the threat information against the US Embassy in Baghdad was the most specific. 

While President Trump Friday told Fox News “I believe it probably would’ve been four embassies,” Esper said repeatedly was not going to discuss specific intelligence.

Asked if the embassies at risk were alerted, he all embassies were put on alert.

When asked about the use by the President and other officials of the word “imminent” to describe the threat, Esper said the information US officials had met his definition because it was believed an attack was “days away.” 

Regarding some Democratic members complaining there was no information about the embassies threat in the congressional briefings they received from administration officials, Esper said there were more specific intelligence given to the so-called congressional “Gang of 8,” which is the top leaders and intelligence committee officials in both the House and Senate.

President Trump took to Twitter this morning to warn Iranian leaders to “NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS” following a series of anti-government demonstrations in Tehran on Saturday.

Trump sent a similar tweet Saturday afternoon instructing Iran to “allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people.”

Some of the protesters Saturday could be heard chanting “Khamenei have shame. Leave the country” after Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had urged Iran’s Armed Forces to investigate the “possible shortcomings” that led to the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane on Wednesday.

Read Trump’s tweet from today below:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke via phone Saturday about the Ukrainian passenger jet being shot down, according to a readout of the phone call from the Canadian government.

Rouhani expressed “profound regret for the shooting down of the aircraft by the Iranian military.”

Trudeau insisted on the need for a complete and thorough investigation, saying Canada was ready to deploy air safety experts to facilitate black box examination and DNA specialists to assist with victim identification and the return of remains to Canada.

Trudeau and Rouhani agreed “on the importance of de-escalation and dialogue to reduce tensions and promote stability in the region.” Trudeau said the incident is “an example of how heightened tensions can have tragic consequences for innocent civilians.”

CNN has obtained video through Alireza Azami, an activist in the Netherlands, showing thousands of people gathered in front of the gate of Amir Kabir University in Tehran yesterday.

Azami told CNN the videos were shot by people at the protests who want to remain anonymous for safety reasons. 

In the video below, protesters can be heard chanting “Khamenei have shame. Leave the country.”

Some context: Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged Iran’s Armed Forces to investigate the “possible shortcomings” that led to the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane on Wednesday.

Watch Azami’s video below:

Rescue teams are seen on Jan. 8 at the scene of a Ukrainian airliner that crashed shortly after take-off near Imam Khomeini airport in the Iranian capital Tehran.

Iran admitted Saturday that it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, blaming human error and “US adventurism” for the crash that left 176 people dead.

In a statement, the nation’s armed forces said it targeted the passenger plane unintentionally. It attributed the crash to radar activity and fear of US action.

Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 crashed Wednesday after takeoff from Tehran’s airport. The crash came hours after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi military bases housing US troops in retaliation for a drone strike at Baghdad airport that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.

Here’s what we know: