Anti-regime protests erupt in Iran demanding resignation of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei

Anti-regime protests have erupted in Iran after the country admitted that it 'unintentionally' shot down a Ukrainian aircraft carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from different countries, including 82 Iranian nationals. Viral footage from the Amir Kabir University in Tehran showed the protesters chanting "Commander-in-chief resign, resign," demanding that the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stepped down.

Even though the Iranian military and top officials have issued apologies, Khamenei has remained silent until now about the plane crash, only commenting that information should be made public regarding the mishap. This has struck a nerve with the protesters, many of who are youngsters and feel that their future is ruined in a country hit by unemployment and political instability, both in the national and international sphere.

Several graduates from top universities were travelling to Canada in the aircraft that was shot down. The thought of a bunch of lost potentials and bright futures has bolstered the demonstrators, who want an end to the Khamenei regime. As observed by a foreign envoy, Iran is indeed "at a crossroads moment", where "it can continue its march towards pariah status with all the political and economic isolation that entails, or take steps to deescalate tensions and engage in a diplomatic path forward."

The above statement was issued by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab after reports surfaced of the British ambassador to Iran, Rob Macaire, of having been temporarily arrested by the Iranian police amid the ongoing anti-regime protests. While local news agencies reported that Macaire was attempting to "organise, instigate and direct some radical and destructive actions" and also "taking photographs of the protest", the British government is not taking the matter lightly. "The arrest of our ambassador in Tehran without grounds or explanation is a flagrant violation of international law," the British Foreign Secretary had proceeded to say.

Iran had last witnessed mass protests in November of last year following a massive hike in petrol prices.

After a long period of denial, Iran had finally admitted on Saturday that it 'unintentionally' shot down the Ukrainian aircraft which crashed earlier this week. Iranian state TV, citing military sources, reported the news on Saturday, adding that the Ukrainian jetliner had flown close to a sensitive military site and was brought down due to "human error".

This comes after Iran had, for several days, denied accusations of downing the aircraft. On Wednesday, Iran had said it will not hand over the black box of the crashed Ukrainian airline jet to US planemaker Boeing. While the first statement by Ukraine's embassy in Iran referred to engine failure, its second statement said the causes had not been disclosed and that any previous comments were not official.