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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state TV is reporting a Ukrainian airplane carrying at least 170 people has crashed near an airport in the capital, Tehran. There is no immediate word on casualties. The state TV report says the crash Wednesday morning is suspected to have been caused by mechanical issues. A civil aviation spokesman says an investigation team was at the site of the crash in southwestern outskirts of Tehran. The crash came hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack targeting two bases in Iraq housing U.S. forces in retaliation for the killing of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister is calling a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops a “proportionate measures in self-defense.” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also tweeted early Wednesday that Iran does not seek escalation or war, but will defend itself against any aggression. Zarif's tweet follows Iran's missile attack that was in revenge for the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike last week in Baghdad.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Japan says it will urge governments to do their utmost to help ease tensions following an Iranian missile strike at bases in Iraq used by U.S. forces. Japanese Chief Cabinet spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday that his “government will coordinate with the related governments to collect intelligence while we ensure the safety of Japanese citizens in the region." He added: “Japan will also urge all related nations to do their utmost diplomatic effort to improve the relations." He said Japan remained on track to soon deploy a warship to the Gulf to help safeguard Japanese vessels and oil tankers transiting the area.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A U.S. military contractor who was killed in a rocket attack in Iraq last month _ an attack that has sparked reprisals and inflamed tensions between the U.S. and Iran _ has been buried in California. The Sacramento Bee says Nawres Waleed Hamid was buried Saturday at a Muslim cemetery in Sacramento. He leaves a wife and two young children. Hamid was a linguist working at a U.S. base near Kirkuk that was hit by rockets on Dec. 27. The U.S. blamed an Iranian-connected group. The attack has sparked a series of air attacks by both the U.S. and Iran.
BEIJING (AP) — Oil prices have climbed and Asian stock markets have fallen after Iran fired missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of an Iranian general. Tokyo's benchmark was down 2% and Hong Kong's lost more than 1%. The Pentagon said Iran fire more than dozen missiles at bases used by U.S. troops in Iraq. The Iranian foreign minister said the attacks were self-defense. They followed last week's killing of a top Iranian general by U.S. forces in Iraq. The killing sparked fears of U.S.-Iranian military conflict and disruption of oil supplies.
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