Iran probes plane crash

Iranian authorities have detained an unconfirmed number of suspects in the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane last week. The arrests followed “extensive investigations,” according to Iranian Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili. Wednesday’s incident killed all 176 people on board, many of them Iranians and Iranian-Canadians.

What prompted the arrests? Iran faced widespread protests after the country admitted that one of its missiles shot down the plane. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for a special court with a ranking judge and dozens of experts to probe the incident, hoping to quell some of the outrage. Authorities have detained 30 protesters since demonstrations began on Saturday, according to the Iranian judiciary.

Dig deeper: Iran is also facing pressure beyond its borders for not following the 2015 nuclear deal. Read the BBC’s report on how France, Germany, and the United Kingdom triggered a formal dispute mechanism over Iran’s breach of the deal.