The European Parliament is holding a debate in Strasbourg on the situation in Iran and Iraq following recent escalation in the region.
The past two weeks brought about a new escalation of tensions in the Middle East. On 3 January, the United States conducted a strike that killed one of Iran's top military commanders, Qasem Soleimani. Tehran responded by attacking two bases in Iraq where US military personnel are stationed.
In a parallel development, a Ukraine International Airlines plane crashed in the vicinity of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport shortly after take-off. All 176 people on board were killed, including 57 Canadians. Iran admitted that the Ukrainian plane had been unintentionally shot down by the country's military, which had mistaken it for a hostile target.
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