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Iran Naval Accident Is Said to Kill at Least 19 During Exercise Iranian Friendly Fire Kills 19 in 2nd Missile Accident of Year
(about 7 hours later)
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. For the second time this year, Iran appears to have fired a missile at the wrong target with deadly consequences, fueling public disillusionment with the government and undermining faith in its military.
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. On Sunday, a missile from an Iranian Navy frigate struck another Iranian naval vessel during a military exercise in the Sea of Oman, killing at least 19 sailors, the navy said.
In January, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a Ukrainian Airlines passenger plane with two missiles, killing the 176 passengers and crew onboard. Iran blamed the shooting on human error.
Official details of the accident were scant on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether it was the result of human error or faulty equipment.
There were reports that the ship had sunk, and people familiar with the accident said a rescue mission was underway to find at least 20 other crew members who were still missing.
The navy said Monday that 15 people were wounded and that the ship had been brought to shore.
“The scope of the incident is under investigation by experts,” Iran’s Navy said in a statement.“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’s military has come under intense global scrutiny since the Ukrainian plane was shot down, and trust in the government was already at an all-time low because of missteps in handling a severe outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
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. 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, leading to an explosion of infections that made Iran a regional epicenter of the virus.
The reports of the latest mishap drew criticism of the government on social media.The reports of the latest mishap drew criticism of the government on social media.
“Firing at your own targets, whether military or civil, in such a short space of time is not human error. It’s a catastrophic failure of management and command,” tweeted Maziar Khosravi, a journalist aligned with reformist politicians. “Firing at your own targets, whether military or civil, in such a short space of time is not human error,” Maziar Khosravi, a journalist aligned with opposition politicians, wrote on Twitter. “It’s a catastrophic failure of management and command.”
The friendly-fire case occurred on Sunday afternoon in the Sea of Oman, near the Iranian port city of Jask. Iran routinely conducts military exercises in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman with a dual purpose: testing new domestically produced equipment and showcasing its military might as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalate and the threat of military conflict looms. The downing of the Ukrainian jetliner occurred during a time of high tension, on a night that Iran launched ballistic missiles at American military targets in Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of a top general. Its forces were on high alert for an American response.
Last month President Trump tweeted that he had instructed the U.S. Navy to shoot at Iranian boats if they harassed American ships in the Persian Gulf. Iran threatened to retaliate if it came under attack. The friendly-fire episode, however, came during a planned naval exercise in the Sea of Oman, near the Iranian port city of Jask.
Since Mr. Trump’s tweet, Iran has placed its air defense forces on highest alert and moved them to positions along its southern shores of the Persian Gulf, according to an Iranian military strategist. Iran routinely conducts military exercises in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman with a dual purpose: testing new domestically produced equipment and showcasing its military might as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalate and the threat of military conflict looms.
It was not immediately clear whether human error or faulty equipment was involved in Sunday’s accident. Last month, President Trump wrote on Twitter that he had instructed the U.S. Navy to shoot at Iranian boats if they harassed American ships in the Persian Gulf. Iran threatened to retaliate if it came under attack.
The bodies of the dead were taken to a hospital in the southern seaport city of Chahbahar, and a search and rescue mission was underway to find at least 20 other crew members still missing, people familiar with the incident said. Since Mr. Trump’s post, Iran has placed its air defense forces on highest alert and moved them to positions along its southern shores of the Persian Gulf, according to an Iranian military strategist.
“This accident is very sad for all of us,” tweeted Seyed Mohamad Razavi, a prominent media adviser to conservative politicians, including Mohamad Baqer Ghalibaf, the incoming speaker of Parliament and a former Revolutionary Guards commander. Four people with knowledge of the accident on Sunday said that the ship, identified as the missile boat Konarak, was hit by a missile from the Jamaran, a frigate that is considered one of the prides of Iran’s fleet.
The Konarak was hit as it was guiding a target out to the sea to help the Jamaran test-fire a missile, according to Mr. Razavi and a Telegram channel affiliated with the Guards. The Konarak was hit as it was guiding a target out to the sea to help the Jamaran test-fire a missile, according to Seyed Mohamad Razavi, a prominent media adviser to conservative politicians, and a Telegram channel affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards.
The Konarak had not sufficiently distanced itself from the target when the missile was fired. Instead of hitting the target, the missile slammed into the tail of the Konarak, according to the Telegram channel, called SepahCybery, and Mr. Razavi. The Konarak had not sufficiently distanced itself from the target when the missile was fired, they said. Instead of hitting the target, the missile slammed into the tail of the Konarak.
The Jamaran is considered one of the prides of Iran’s fleet, and a triumph of homegrown naval technology. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, inaugurated the Jamaran in 2010 in unusual appearance onboard the ship. “This accident is very sad for all of us,” Mr. Razavi wrote on Twitter.
The Jamaran is considered a triumph of Iran’s homegrown naval technology. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, inaugurated it in 2010 in an unusual appearance onboard the ship.
The bodies of the dead were taken to a hospital in the southern seaport city of Chahbahar, people familiar with the incident said.
Military experts said that Sunday’s episode was a significant setback for Iran’s navy and its ambitions to project itself as a power player in the Persian Gulf and beyond. Together with the downing of the Ukrainian airliner, it undermines an effort by Iran to present its military as a force capable of countering the United States and its regional allies, they said.Military experts said that Sunday’s episode was a significant setback for Iran’s navy and its ambitions to project itself as a power player in the Persian Gulf and beyond. Together with the downing of the Ukrainian airliner, it undermines an effort by Iran to present its military as a force capable of countering the United States and its regional allies, they said.
“This really showed that the situation with Iran is still dangerous, because accidents and miscalculations can happen,” said Fabian Hinz, an expert on Iran’s military at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. “It doesn’t give you confidence about the stability of the Persian Gulf.”“This really showed that the situation with Iran is still dangerous, because accidents and miscalculations can happen,” said Fabian Hinz, an expert on Iran’s military at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. “It doesn’t give you confidence about the stability of the Persian Gulf.”