A candlelight ceremony late Saturday in Tehran turned into a protest, with hundreds of people chanting against... Read More

DUBAI: Iranian demonstrators defied a heavy police presence on Sunday night to protest their country's days of denials that it shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane carrying 176 people , the latest unrest to roil the capital amid soaring tensions with the US. Protesters piled pressure on Iran's leadership with demands for top authorities to quit.

"They are lying that our enemy is America, our enemy is right here," a group of protesters outside a university in Tehran chanted, according to video clips posted on Twitter. "Apologise and resign," Iran's moderate Etemad daily wrote in a banner headline on Sunday, saying the "people's demand" was for those responsible for mishandling the plane crisis to quit.

Other videos posted online showed protesters shouting anti-government slogans and moving through subway stations and sidewalks, many near Azadi Square after an earlier call for people to demonstrate there. Other videos suggested similar protests were taking place in other Iranian cities.

Riot police in black uniforms and helmets earlier massed in Vali-e Asr Square, at Tehran University and other landmarks. Revolutionary Guard members patrolled the city on motorbikes, and plain-clothes security men were also out in force. People looked down as they walked briskly past police, hoping not to draw attention to themselves.

The plane crash early on Wednesday killed everyone on board. After initially pointing to a technical failure and insisting the armed forces were not to blame, authorities on Saturday admitted to accidentally shooting it down. Iranians have expressed anger over the downing of the plane and the misleading explanations from senior officials. "The denial and covering up the truth over the past three days greatly added to the suffering and pain of the families, and me," said Zahra Razeghi, a Tehran resident. Another individual, who identified himself only as Saeed, said Iran's largely state-run media had concealed the cause of the crash for "political reasons. "

Earlier on Sunday, hundreds of students gathered at Tehran's Shahid Beheshti University to mourn the victims and protest against authorities for concealing the cause of the crash, the ISNA news agency reported . Some Iranian artists, including famed director Masoud Kimiai, withdrew from an upcoming international film festival. Two state TV hosts resigned in protest over the false reporting about the cause of the plane crash .

Meanwhile, US President Trump, who has expressed support for past waves of anti-government demonstrations in Iran, addressed Iran's leaders in a tweet, saying "DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS." "The World is watching. More importantly, the USA is watching," he tweeted.

