Tehran says its military unintentionally shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, killing all 176 people onboard
- Full report: Iran admits shooting down Ukrainian airliner ‘unintentionally’
- Plane crash admission triggers international calls for full investigation
In related news, German chancellor Angela Merkel repeated a call for all parties to respect the Iranian nuclear accord, despite Iran’s decision to intensify its enrichment of uranium and moves by the United States to impose economic sanctions, PA reports.
Under a deal brokered in 2015, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, to restrict its nuclear program.
“We agreed that we should do anything to preserve the deal, the JCPOA. Germany is convinced that Iran should not acquire or have nuclear weapons,” Merkel said during a joint press conference with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday.
“For this reason we will continue to employ all diplomatic means to keep this agreement alive, which is certainly not perfect but it is an agreement and it comprises commitments by all sides.”
Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau is due to speak shortly, his third press conference since the plane was shot down on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, Canadian officials have expressed frustration over an inability to access the crash site— despite an invitation from Iranian officials to do so.