Hundreds gathered at universities in Tehran on Saturday night to protest the Iran government's late acknowledgement that it "unintentionally'' shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week, after the government had for days repeatedly denied Western accusations and mounting evidence that it was responsible.
A military statement carried by state media earlier on Saturday said the plane was mistaken for a "hostile target" after it turned toward a "sensitive military centre" of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The military was at its "highest level of readiness," it said, amid the heightened tensions with the United States.
Iran President Hassan Rouhani tweeted: "Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake."
The protesters demanded officials involved in the missile attack be removed from their positions and tried.
The semi-official Fars news agency reported demonstrators ripped up pictures of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a targeted attack by the U.S. earlier this month.
Police later broke up the demonstrations.