House to vote to limit Trump's military action against Iran without congressional approval - CNN

Freshman Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst and senior Defense Department official, is the sponsor of the resolution, which calls on the President "to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran" unless Congress declares war or enacts "specific statutory authorization" for the use of armed forces.

One additional exception outlined in the resolution is if the use of armed forces "is necessary and appropriate to defend against an imminent armed attack upon the United States."

A vote on the resolution will take place one day after President Donald Trump signaled a de-escalation of tensions with Iran, saying that "Iran appears to be standing down" in the wake of its retaliatory attacks against Iraqi bases housing US troops, which came after a US airstrike killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.

Despite the apparent de-escalation, however, Democrats have continued to express alarm over the strike and the administration's justification in taking the action.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement on Wednesday that "members of Congress have serious, urgent concerns about the administration's decision to engage in hostilities against Iran and about its lack of strategy moving forward" and announced that the House would move forward with a war powers resolution vote.

The House resolution states that "when the United States military force, the American people and members of the United States Armed Forces deserve a credible explanation regarding such use of military force."

It also states that "Congress has not authorized the President to use military force against Iran."

Democrats push war powers resolutions in House and Senate

The House and Senate are both poised to take up war powers resolutions related to Iran.

In the Senate, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia introduced his own war powers resolution last week along with Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. The measure is privileged, which means that the Republican-controlled Senate will have to hold a vote.

The resolution directs the President to remove US forces from hostilities with Iran no later than 30 days after the resolution is enacted absent a declaration of war by Congress or passage of a new authorization for use of military force, a type of measure that lawmakers can approve to green-light military action.

Even as the military conflict with Iran appeared to have de-escalated on Wednesday, Kaine said that he will continue to press ahead with his effort to limit Trump's authority on Iran.

He added, however, that the timing may be complicated by the fact that it's uncertain when a Senate impeachment trial will begin. But since it's privileged, the Senate must vote on it.

"What we learned from the last 18 months is ... this thing has been going up and down cycles ... and deliberation is the antidote to unnecessary escalation," Kaine said of conflict with Iran.

Democrats invoke War Powers Act in effort to rein in Trump

In their effort to restrain US conflict with Iran, congressional Democrats are invoking the War Powers Resolution, otherwise known as the War Powers Resolution of 1973 or the War Powers Act.

The War Powers Act stipulates parameters of presidential and congressional war powers, including imposing procedural requirements to ensure that presidents keep Congress apprised of military decisions as well as provisions that provide Congress with a mechanism to suspend military operations initiated by the President in certain circumstances.

It was enacted after Congress overrode a veto from then-President Richard Nixon and is aimed at reining in a president's authority to engage the US in military action without congressional approval.

The Democratic-controlled House is expected to have the support needed to clear an Iran war powers resolution, but it is not yet clear if such a resolution would have the votes to pass in the Republican-led Senate.

Whatever the outcome of the vote, however, the resolutions ensure there will be an ongoing congressional debate over simmering hostilities with Iran.

CNN's Manu Raju and Nicole Gaouette contributed to this report.

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2020-01-09 12:01:00Z
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Ukraine plane on fire before crashing in Iran, says report - The - The Washington Post

Wana News Agency Via Reuters Debris of a plane belonging to Ukraine International Airlines that crashed after taking off from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport, Jan. 8, 2020.

MOSCOW — Ukrainian investigators are considering the possibility that that an antiaircraft missile might have hit the doomed passenger jet that crashed near Tehran killing all 176 aboard as an initial report released by Iran Thursday said the plane was on fire while still in the air.

The preliminary Iranian investigation cited witnesses saying the plane was burning and was turning back to Tehran because of the problem when it went down.

Ukrainian investigators said they were also considering engine failure or a terrorist attack as possible causes for the crash.

The Ukraine International Airlines flight — bound for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv — departed Tehran at 6:12 a.m. on Wednesday and was approaching 8,000 feet when it abruptly lost contact with ground control, officials said.

The report from Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said that eyewitness reports from the ground and from the crew of another flight in the vicinity reported seeing a fire while the Boeing 737 model airplane was still in the air and then an explosion when it collided with the ground near an amusement park.

“The trajectory of the collision indicated that the plane was initially moving toward the west, but after encountering a problem, it turned to the right and was approaching the airport again at the time of the crash,” Ali Abedzadeh, the head of the Civil Aviation Organization, said in the report.

Iranian officials said immediately after the crash that the plane encountered technical problems but this did not appear in the report, which also noted that there was no distress call from the aircraft.

[Iran crash presents embattled Boeing with new crisis]

A Ukrainian plane with 45 experts and search-and-rescue personnel arrived in Tehran early Thursday to participate in the investigation as well as identify and repatriate the bodies of the 11 Ukrainians on board, including all nine crew members.

Oleksiy Danylov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, wrote on Facebook that his team wants to search for possible debris of a Russian missile, the Tor air defense missile, at the crash site after seeing online reports about the discovery of possible fragments of one near the crash site.

He added that Ukraine’s commission includes specialists who helped investigate the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine.

The government has also suspended all Ukrainian flights over Iranian airspace until “the reasons of the tragedy are determined.”

AP

AP

In this photo from the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, the plane carrying Ukrainian experts prepares to depart for Tehran at Borispil international airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020.

The Iranian report said that both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder were recovered but damaged. While Abedzadeh has said Iran won’t share those so-called black boxes with Boeing, other countries have been invited to participate in the organization.

The passengers on the plane were mostly Iranians but also included Europeans and more than 60 Canadians.

[176 people died in the Ukrainian plane crash in Iran. Here are some of their stories.]

Several U.S.-based aviation experts have raised skepticism that a technical malfunction brought down the plane as Iranian officials suggested in the immediate aftermath of the crash. Iran, however, has strongly rejected speculation that a missile might have hit the plane.

Brig. Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for the armed forces, described that chatter to Iran’s Mehr news agency as American “psychological warfare,” as well as “ridiculous” and an “utter lie.”

“Most of the passengers on this plane were invaluable Iranian youth; everything we do is aimed at defending our people’s and country’s security,” Shekarchi said.

About four hours before the crash, Iranian forces launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles into Iraq, targeting an Iraqi air base with U.S. personnel and a facility in the northern city of Irbil in response to an American airstrike last week that killed the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

American passenger airliners had been told not to over Iran because of the risk that they could be mistaken for military aircraft. Several other major airlines followed suit Wednesday.

Jeff Guzzetti, who headed the Federal Aviation Administration’s accident investigation division until his retirement last year, said preliminary and publicly available evidence, like eyewitness video of the crash and news organizations’ photos of the wreckage, suggested the plane was brought down deliberately. He added that the emergence of further evidence could change his view.

“To me it has all the earmarks of an intentional act,” Guzzetti told The Washington Post. “I don’t know whether it was a bomb or a missile or an incendiary device. I just know airplanes don’t come apart like that.”

[After the Boeing crash near Tehran, who will investigate?]

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that 138 of the victims were destined for Toronto and promised that the crash would be “thoroughly investigated.”

“Canadians have questions and they deserve answers,” he said.

Asked if he could “categorically” rule out that the plane was not shot down, Trudeau said that he could not, adding that it is too early to speculate on possible causes.

Marc Garneau, Canada’s transport minister, said that satellite data suggests the aircraft had a “standard departure” and then lost contact with officials soon after, suggesting that “something very unusual happened.”

Garneau, a former astronaut, said that Canada is willing to assist with black box analysis, if asked.

Amanda Coletta in Toronto and Michael Laris in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more

Ukrainian passenger jet carrying over 170 people crashes in Iran, killing all on board

A timeline of the escalation in the Middle East

Iran took revenge, no one died, and the risk of war abates, for now

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news

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2020-01-09 10:34:00Z
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Ukraine plane on fire before crashing in Iran, says report - The - The Washington Post

Wana News Agency Via Reuters Debris of a plane belonging to Ukraine International Airlines that crashed after taking off from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport, Jan. 8, 2020.

MOSCOW — Ukrainian investigators are considering the possibility that that an antiaircraft missile might have hit the doomed passenger jet that crashed near Tehran killing all 176 aboard as an initial report released by Iran Thursday said the plane was on fire while still in the air.

The preliminary Iranian investigation cited witnesses saying the plane was burning and was turning back to Tehran because of the problem when it went down.

Ukrainian investigators said they were also considering engine failure or a terrorist attack as possible causes for the crash.

The Ukraine International Airlines flight — bound for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv — departed Tehran at 6:12 a.m. on Wednesday and was approaching 8,000 feet when it abruptly lost contact with ground control, officials said.

The report from Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said that eyewitness reports from the ground and from the crew of another flight in the vicinity reported seeing a fire while the Boeing 737 model airplane was still in the air and then an explosion when it collided with the ground near an amusement park.

“The trajectory of the collision indicated that the plane was initially moving toward the west, but after encountering a problem, it turned to the right and was approaching the airport again at the time of the crash,” Ali Abedzadeh, the head of the Civil Aviation Organization, said in the report.

Iranian officials said immediately after the crash that the plane encountered technical problems but this did not appear in the report, which also noted that there was no distress call from the aircraft.

[Iran crash presents embattled Boeing with new crisis]

A Ukrainian plane with 45 experts and search-and-rescue personnel arrived in Tehran early Thursday to participate in the investigation as well as identify and repatriate the bodies of the 11 Ukrainians on board, including all nine crew members.

Oleksiy Danylov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, wrote on Facebook that his team wants to search for possible debris of a Russian missile, the Tor air defense missile, at the crash site after seeing online reports about the discovery of possible fragments of one near the crash site.

He added that Ukraine’s commission includes specialists who helped investigate the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine.

The government has also suspended all Ukrainian flights over Iranian airspace until “the reasons of the tragedy are determined.”

AP

AP

In this photo from the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, the plane carrying Ukrainian experts prepares to depart for Tehran at Borispil international airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020.

The Iranian report said that both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder were recovered but damaged. While Abedzadeh has said Iran won’t share those so-called black boxes with Boeing, other countries have been invited to participate in the organization.

The passengers on the plane were mostly Iranians but also included Europeans and more than 60 Canadians.

[176 people died in the Ukrainian plane crash in Iran. Here are some of their stories.]

Several U.S.-based aviation experts have raised skepticism that a technical malfunction brought down the plane as Iranian officials suggested in the immediate aftermath of the crash. Iran, however, has strongly rejected speculation that a missile might have hit the plane.

Brig. Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for the armed forces, described that chatter to Iran’s Mehr news agency as American “psychological warfare,” as well as “ridiculous” and an “utter lie.”

“Most of the passengers on this plane were invaluable Iranian youth; everything we do is aimed at defending our people’s and country’s security,” Shekarchi said.

About four hours before the crash, Iranian forces launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles into Iraq, targeting an Iraqi air base with U.S. personnel and a facility in the northern city of Irbil in response to an American airstrike last week that killed the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

American passenger airliners had been told not to over Iran because of the risk that they could be mistaken for military aircraft. Several other major airlines followed suit Wednesday.

Jeff Guzzetti, who headed the Federal Aviation Administration’s accident investigation division until his retirement last year, said preliminary and publicly available evidence, like eyewitness video of the crash and news organizations’ photos of the wreckage, suggested the plane was brought down deliberately. He added that the emergence of further evidence could change his view.

“To me it has all the earmarks of an intentional act,” Guzzetti told The Washington Post. “I don’t know whether it was a bomb or a missile or an incendiary device. I just know airplanes don’t come apart like that.”

[After the Boeing crash near Tehran, who will investigate?]

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that 138 of the victims were destined for Toronto and promised that the crash would be “thoroughly investigated.”

“Canadians have questions and they deserve answers,” he said.

Asked if he could “categorically” rule out that the plane was not shot down, Trudeau said that he could not, adding that it is too early to speculate on possible causes.

Marc Garneau, Canada’s transport minister, said that satellite data suggests the aircraft had a “standard departure” and then lost contact with officials soon after, suggesting that “something very unusual happened.”

Garneau, a former astronaut, said that Canada is willing to assist with black box analysis, if asked.

Amanda Coletta in Toronto and Michael Laris in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more

Ukrainian passenger jet carrying over 170 people crashes in Iran, killing all on board

A timeline of the escalation in the Middle East

Iran took revenge, no one died, and the risk of war abates, for now

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news

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2020-01-09 09:54:00Z
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The latest on the US-Iran crisis: Live updates - CNN International

A screengrab from video reportedly shows Iranian missiles being launched early on Wednesday. AFP

Just 24 hours ago, it seemed like the United States and Iran could be on the brink of war, after Tehran responded to the US killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, the powerful commander of the elite Quds Force, by striking bases which housed US troops in Iraq.

It was the latest in a whirlwind two weeks of military action and ratcheted up tensions. The world watched with bated breath for how Washington would respond to the attacks, which did not kill or injure any US or Iraqi troops.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said "Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world."

Here's what happened and where we're at now:

December 27: A rocket attack believed to be linked to a Shiite militia group, backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, killed a US civilian contractor and wounded several US and Iraq military personnel on a base near Kirkuk, Iraq.

December 29: According to the Pentagon, US forces conducted airstrikes at five facilities in Iraq and Syria controlled by a Shiite military group known as Kataib Hezbollah -- the group that American officials blamed for the attack on a base near Kirkuk.

December 31: Pro-Iranian protesters, demonstrating against the American airstrikes, attacked the US Embassy in Baghdad, scaling walls and forcing the gates open.

January 3: Trump said he ordered a precision drone strike at the Baghdad airport to "terminate" Soleimani, a top Iranian commander who was plotting "imminent and sinister attacks on Americans diplomats and military personnel." Others were killed in the attack.

January 4: Iran vowed retaliation against the US, in response to the strike. Trump warned that if Iran targeted "any Americans or American assets," he he would sanction specific military strikes against Iranian cultural sites, which could amount to a war crime.

January 5: Soleimani's body arrived in his home country, where thousands mourned him. Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Hossein Dehghan, the military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, told CNN in an exclusive interview that Tehran would retaliate directly against US "military sites."

January 6: The US Defense Department said there were no plans to withdraw from Iraq after a letter was mistakenly circulated from the military's Task Force Iraq suggesting just that. United Nations Secretary General warned that tensions were at their "highest level this century."

January 7: More than 50 people were reported killed, and at least 200 injured, in a stampede at Soleimani's funeral in his hometown of Kerman.

January 8: In the early hours of Wednesday morning local time, Iranian ballistic missiles struck two bases housing US forces in Iraq. Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Tehran "concluded proportionate measures in self-defense." Trump didn't respond on Tuesday night US time, except to tweet that "all is well." In a statement later on Wednesday, he said the strikes appeared to be the extent of Iran's actions and pledged more US sanctions on Tehran, signalling a scaling down of tensions, at least for the moment.

Read our full report on yesterday's developments here.

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2020-01-09 10:32:00Z
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The latest on the US-Iran crisis: Live updates - CNN International

Just 24 hours ago, it seemed like the United States and Iran could be on the brink of war, after Tehran responded to the US killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, the powerful commander of the elite Quds Force, by striking bases which housed US troops in Iraq.

It was the latest in a whirlwind two weeks of military action and ratcheted up tensions. The world watched with bated breath for how Washington would respond to the attacks, which did not kill or injure any US or Iraqi troops.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said "Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world."

Here's what happened and where we're at now:

December 27: A rocket attack believed to be linked to a Shiite militia group, backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, killed a US civilian contractor and wounded several US and Iraq military personnel on a base near Kirkuk, Iraq.

December 29: According to the Pentagon, US forces conducted airstrikes at five facilities in Iraq and Syria controlled by a Shiite military group known as Kataib Hezbollah -- the group that American officials blamed for the attack on a base near Kirkuk.

December 31: Pro-Iranian protesters, demonstrating against the American airstrikes, attacked the US Embassy in Baghdad, scaling walls and forcing the gates open.

January 3: Trump said he ordered a precision drone strike at the Baghdad airport to "terminate" Soleimani, a top Iranian commander who was plotting "imminent and sinister attacks on Americans diplomats and military personnel." Others were killed in the attack.

January 4: Iran vowed retaliation against the US, in response to the strike. Trump warned that if Iran targeted "any Americans or American assets," he he would sanction specific military strikes against Iranian cultural sites, which could amount to a war crime.

January 5: Soleimani's body arrived in his home country, where thousands mourned him. Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Hossein Dehghan, the military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, told CNN in an exclusive interview that Tehran would retaliate directly against US "military sites."

January 6: The US Defense Department said there were no plans to withdraw from Iraq after a letter was mistakenly circulated from the military's Task Force Iraq suggesting just that. United Nations Secretary General warned that tensions were at their "highest level this century."

January 7: More than 50 people were reported killed, and at least 200 injured, in a stampede at Soleimani's funeral in his hometown of Kerman.

January 8: In the early hours of Wednesday morning local time, Iranian ballistic missiles struck two bases housing US forces in Iraq. Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Tehran "concluded proportionate measures in self-defense." Trump didn't respond on Tuesday night US time, except to tweet that "all is well." In a statement later on Wednesday, he said the strikes appeared to be the extent of Iran's actions and pledged more US sanctions on Tehran, signalling a scaling down of tensions, at least for the moment.

Read our full report on yesterday's developments here.

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2020-01-09 08:56:00Z
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Iran says black boxes from doomed Ukrainian flight were damaged, some memory lost - Fox News

Iranian investigators on Thursday said the black boxes that belonged to the Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran’s international airport have been damaged and some parts of their memory were lost.

The crash of the Ukraine International Airlines flight that was bound for Kiev Wednesday raised concerns about Iran's transparency during the investigation. Iran blamed mechanical failure, but some have speculated that Tehran's earlier missile assault on Iraqi bases housing American troops played a role.

All 176 people on board the flight died.

The plane’s black boxes were found amid the wreckage not far from Imam Khomeini International Airport but Iran is refusing to turn them over to Boeing or the National Transportation Safety Board.

IRAN REFUSES TO HAND OVER AIRLINER'S BLACK BOX: REPORT

"We will not give the black box to the manufacturer and the Americans,” Ali Abedzadeh, the head of the Civil Aviation Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said, according to BBC News.

Investigators haven’t given a reason for the crash that brought down the Boeing-737 but said the pilot was attempting to steer the plane back toward the airport just before the crash.

"The plane, which was initially headed west to leave the airport zone, turned right following a problem and was headed back to the airport at the moment of the crash,” Abedzadeh said, according to BBC News.

The plane exploded on impact, potentially because it was loaded with fuel for the international flight.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sent investigators to assist and said, “the priority for Ukraine is to identify the causes of the plane crash … We will surely find out the truth.”

TRUMP SAYS IRAN ‘APPEARS TO BE STANDING DOWN,’ MISSILE STRIKES RESULTED IN NO CASUALTIES

So far, there is no evidence to suggest the plane was intentionally downed.

Peter Goelz, a former managing director of the NTSB, said considering an attack should be “at the top of [investigators'] agenda,” The New York Times reported.

Ukraine’s Iranian embassy initially blamed mechanical issues but later removed their statement. They also initially ruled out terrorism or a rocket attack before backing off on that assessment.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Ukraine International Airlines flight, bound for Kiev, was carrying 82 Iranians, at least 63 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians – nine of which were crew members – 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British citizens, according to Ukraine’s foreign minister.

There has been some back and forth about the nationalities of those on board likely because some passengers had dual citizenship and Germany has claimed they're not aware of any German citizens who were on the plane.

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2020-01-09 08:30:45Z
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Woman had premonition her plane would crash in Iran, husband says. She called him 20 minutes before takeoff - CNN

She'd taken three weeks off from her job in Toronto to visit her mother and sisters in Tehran. Her vacation was over, and she was heading back to Canada to her husband, Hassan Shadkhoo. Her flight was leaving from Tehran to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev early Wednesday.

"I spoke to her ... 20 minutes before the plane took off," he said Wednesday night in Toronto. She was worried about the tensions between Tehran and the United States after President Donald Trump ordered the killing of a top Iranian general last week.

"She wanted me to assure her that there wasn't going to be a war. I told her not to worry. Nothing's gonna happen," her husband told CNN's news partner CBC. "She said, 'OK. They're telling me to turn off my phone. Goodbye.' That was it."

The Kiev-bound Ukraine International Airlines flight never made it to its destination. It crashed in Tehran minutes after takeoff, killing all 176 people aboard, including Sheyda Shadkhoo and 62 other Canadians.

Hassan Shadkhoo said his wife had a premonition the plane was going down, and was worried about the people she was leaving behind. She posted a selfie on Instagram expressing her fears before she left Iran.

"She knew. Look at her face, look at the poem that she wrote," he said as he held up his phone to show the photo she posted. Then he read the words she wrote, his voice breaking.

"I'm leaving but ... what's behind me worries me," he read. "Behind me, behind me. I'm scared for the people behind me."

Hassan Shadkhoo said he's devastated and can't imagine life without his wife of 10 years. He was on his way to see his wife's relatives in Tehran on Wednesday night.

"She was an angel," he told CBC. " ... I wish I didn't exist right now."

There are conflicting reports on what caused the plane crash, and Iranian and Ukrainian officials have said they're not going to speculate.

The crash came hours after Iran fired a number of missiles at two Iraqi bases housing US troops in retaliation for the general's killing, sparking questions over the timing of the incident.

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2020-01-09 08:16:00Z
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