Iran Naval Accident Is Said to Kill at Least 19 During Exercise
One ship reportedly fired at and sank a missile ship during target practice, in another public disaster for Iran’s military.
By Farnaz Fassihi
Published May 10, 2020
Updated May 11, 2020, 4:48 a.m. ET
An Iranian naval vessel was hit by a missile fired from another ship during a military exercise in the Sea of Oman on Sunday, an apparent friendly-fire episode that left at least 19 people dead, Iran’s Navy said.
Official details of the incident were scant, and the navy said that 15 other people were injured. But four people with knowledge of the incident said that the ship, identified as the missile boat Konarak, was hit and sunk by a missile from the frigate Jamaran by mistake. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid reprisal from Iranian officials.
“The scope of the incident is under investigation by experts,” Iran’s Navy said in a statement.
Iran’s military has come under intense global scrutiny since another mistake with missiles: In January, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a Ukrainian Airlines passenger plane with two missiles, killing 176 onboard. It subsequently blamed the incident on human error on a night that it launched ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base in Iraq in retaliation of the assassination of a top general.
Iran has also been battling a severe outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving trust between government and public at an all-time low. Iranians have blamed the government for not enforcing an early lockdown to battle the virus and not being transparent about the number of people infected.
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