Do not kill your protesters: Trump warns Iran

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned the "leaders of Iran" against killing their protesters, as protests against the Iranian leadership intensified across the country after Tehran admitted it had accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner. 

Read more: Iran says it unintentionally shot down Ukrainian plane amid soaring tensions after missile strike

As protests continued in different cities across the country, Trump took to Twitter to warn Tehran that "the world is watching" and "more importantly, the US is watching."

"To the leaders of Iran - DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS. Thousands have already been killed or imprisoned by you, and the World is watching. More importantly, the USA is watching. Turn your internet back on and let reporters roam free! Stop the killing of your great Iranian people!" he tweeted. 

Thousands took to the streets in Tehran to protest against the shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner on Wednesday when tensions soared between the US and Iran. 

Iran retaliated to a US drone strike ordered by Trump that killed Al Quds commander Qassem Soleimani, by firing a volley of ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq that housed American troops. Hours after the attack and as the Iranians braced for a possible US onslaught, the Ukrainian airliner crashed outside Tehran. 

Iran initially denied it had shot down the Ukrainian airliner. However, as the US and Canada urged Iran to come clean about the cause of the crash, a statement from the Iranian military accepted that the plane had been shot down by mistake. 

Officials said that the plane had flown close to a "sensitive military centre" and was mistaken for a "hostile target". The statement added that the military was at its "highest state of readiness" amid the US tensions. 

Scores of people took to the streets in Iran's major cities to chant slogans and protest against the regime, demanding the resignation of the supreme leader and President Rouhani. Clashes have broken out in various cities across the country as riot police sprung into action to quell the unrest. 

Internet access was reportedly cut off in multiple Iranian provinces ahead of memorials planned a month after the protests.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has demanded that Iran provide "full clarity" on the downing of the plane. Ottawa says the dead included 57 Canadians.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also offered his condolences and ordered the armed forces to address "shortcomings" so that such a disaster does not happen again.