The latest news on Iran – January 21, 2020
Written by Mansoureh Galestan on 21 January 2020.
THE IRANIAN REGIME HAS ACKNOWLEDGED
IT FIRED 2 MISSILES AT UKRAINIAN JET
The Iranian regime acknowledged on Tuesday that its forces had fired two surface-to-air missiles at a Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed this month near Tehran, confirming for the first time that more than one missile was launched at the jet.
It also appeared to walk back a promise to send the jet’s data recorders abroad for analysis, asking the United States and France to send the necessary equipment to Iran instead.
A preliminary report from Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, released on Tuesday, corroborated a video verified by The New York Times last week that showed two missiles, fired from a military site, exploding near the plane.
Here are a few facts on the #Iranian regime lies& deceptions about #UkrainPlaneCrash:
Ali Rabiei, complete denial & calling those who blame the regime, liars and accusing them of Psychological warfare: pic.twitter.com/m3LpPX7bQL— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 11, 2020
IRANIAN REGIME MP, SETS REWARDS FOR KILLING THE U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP
An Iranian regime parliamentarian has offered a $3 million reward to anyone who can kill U.S. President Donald Trump. He also said Iran could avoid threats if it had nuclear arms, the ISNA news agency reported on Tuesday, amid Tehran’s latest standoff with Washington.
“On behalf of the people of Kerman province, we will pay a $3 million reward in cash to whoever kills Trump,” lawmaker Ahmad Hamzeh told the 290-seat parliament, ISNA reported.
U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood dismissed the reward as “ridiculous”, telling reporters in Geneva it showed the “terrorist underpinnings” of Iran’s establishment.
SOUTH KOREA JOINS FORCES TO PROTECT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
The South Korea Defense Ministry announced its anti-piracy unit operating in the Gulf of Aden was temporarily expanding its mission in the Strait of Hormuz. A ministry statement said the decision was meant to help ensure the safe passage of South Korean vessels and nationals through the waterway. It said the unit’s expanded operation will include the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, Associated Press reported.
Britain said Monday that it would join a U.S.-led naval security mission in the Strait of #Hormuz, where the #Iran'ian regime’s seizure of merchant vessels has raised tensions with the West.https://t.co/WUVlz98JUT pic.twitter.com/3OHBxp1dSQ
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 6, 2019
The missions began after mysterious explosions last summer targeted oil tankers near the Strait, attacks the U.S. blamed on Iran. Tehran denied being involved, although it did seize tankers amid wider tensions with the West over its unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.
