Arrests are said to have been made in Iran over the shootdown of a Ukrainian plane that killed all 176 people on board, including 57 Canadians.

(Debris from the Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, which was shot down after takeoff from Iran’s Imam Khomeini Airport, on the outskirts of Tehran.
Social Media/via Reuters)

A spokesperson for Iran’s judiciary says after extensive investigations, some individuals have been arrested. A number has not been provided.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called for a special court to be set up to try those responsible for the tragedy.

Meantime, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has spoken to U.S. President Donald Trump about the need to de-escalate tensions with Iran, following the jetliner shootdown.

Iran’s military has admitted to shooting down the plane after mistaking it for a hostile target, days after a U.S. airstrike killed a top Iranian general.

Trudeau said Monday that the victims of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 would be home in Canada with their families if the animosity between Washington and Iran had not been heightened.

Two Canadian air-crash investigators are getting their first chance to visit the crash site Tuesday.

In another development, there are renewed calls for Canada to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist entity after the downing of the plane.

“We’re formally requesting the government of Canada to complete this long overdue listing process within the next 30 days,” B’nai Brith Canada’s Michael Mostyn told an Ottawa news conference Monday. He was joined by representatives of the Council of Iranian Canadians and the Justice 88 Campaign to reiterate the demand.

They claim the terrorist designation would close a legal loophole allowing families and victims to sue Iran. They say it would also show Canada’s support for those protesting against Iran’s government in Tehran.