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Iran announces arrests in downing of Ukrainian plane, as street protests rage

Iranian president promises “tragic event” will be investigated • France, Britain and Germany trigger the dispute resolution mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal, but say they remain committed to the agreement.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Iran announced on Tuesday that it had arrested those suspected of having a role in the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger jet last week, as anti-government protests sparked by the incident raged for a fourth day, Reuters reported.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech on Tuesday that the “tragic event” would be fully investigated. “Iranian armed forces admitting their mistake is a good first step. ... We should assure people that it will not happen again,” he said, according to the report.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, France, Britain and Germany formally triggered the dispute mechanism in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 nations, according to Reuters.

In a joint statement, the four countries said they still seek an agreement with Tehran and are not part of the American “maximum pressure” campaign.

“I unfortunately do see reports of these markings over the years, but I never thought it would happen in my town,” Scott Manley, a Jewish Republican running for town supervisor in Newburgh, told JNS.
The country’s next government will depend on whether its political leaders can reconcile their competing commitments, or whether voters will again be asked to resolve a deadlock that negotiations could not.
“They will push legislation very hard to end the Iran war, and it’s not inconceivable that they could get a fair amount of Republican support for that,” William Galston of Brookings told JNS.
Belgrade police killed the minor, who was armed with two knives and was tied to the Islamic State, the Serbian Interior Ministry said.