Iranians protest against downing of plane

Iranian demonstrators defied heavy police presence over the weekend to protest their country's initial denials that it shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane carrying 176 people.

A series of stills shows protesters squaring off with the police in front of Amir Kabir University in Tehran, where people had gathered to remember the victims of the crash.

Ukrainian authorities have demanded full access to the crash wreckage for 45 Ukrainian experts.

They also want Iran to punish those responsible for the crash and pay compensation to relatives of the dead.

The military said it mistook the plane for a hostile target after launching a ballistic missile attack on two bases housing US troops in Iraq.