Iran's admission of downing Boeing jet provokes international outrage

In what President Hassan Rouhani called a 'disastrous mistake', Iran said that a missile fired in error by its air defences on US targets in Iraq brought down the plane

Iran's admission that it shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 aboard, has provoked international outrage and triggered growing protests against Iranian authorities in Tehran and other cities including one in which Britain's ambassador was detained.

In what President Hassan Rouhani called a "disastrous mistake", Iran said on Saturday that a missile fired in error on Wednesday by its air defences while on alert after Iranian missile strikes on US targets in Iraq brought down the plane.

Iran had denied for days after the crash that it had shot down the airliner.

Even as top Iranian officials and the military