At a Friday sermon by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his first in eight years, he defends the Revolutionary Guards’ accidental killing of passengers onboard Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 and praises Operation Martyr Soleimani for giving a “slap on the face” to the United States. His sermon comes as public anger mounts against the government for their handling of Flight 752. 2020-01-17
Protests continue for a second day despite a large deployment of security forces. 2020-01-12
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps admits it mistakenly shot down the Ukraine International Airlines plane as it took off from Tehran, killing all 176 aboard. 2020-01-11
Vigils in Iran that were held for the victims subsequently turn into protests. According to Twitter videos, hundreds of protesters in Tehran call for the resignation of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 2020-01-11
The British ambassador to Iran, Robert Macaire, is arrested during anti-government protests, after attending a vigil and then, according to BBC, getting his hair cut. According to Tasnim News Agency he was arrested "on suspicion of organising, provoking and directing radical actions". U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab states the arrest is in "flagrant violation" of international law. More than an hour later, Macaire is released from custody. 2020-01-11
After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggests the plane was downed by an Iranian missile, Iranian authorities reject this theory. Iranian civil aviation chief says he is "certain" the plane was not hit by a missile, still asserting the cause was "mechanical failure". 2020-01-10
"The New York Times" releases a verified video obtained from an Iranian citizen showing the plane being struck by what appears to be a surface-to-air missile. 2020-01-9
A Boeing 737-800 crashes while taking off from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 people on board. The incident, which took place amid the 2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis, is under investigation. 2020-01-8