Iranian navy accidentally shoot one of their own warships with a missile during training exercise, killing 19 and leaving 15 injured
An Iranian warship has accidentally opened fire on one of its own support vessels during a training exercise in the Gulf of Oman, killing 19 and leaving 15 injured.
The Jamaran, a frigate, had been attempting to hit a target with one of its Noor cruise missiles when it accidentally struck a support ship named Konarak instead.
The Konarak had been placing targets for the Janaran to hit but remained too close to one of them causing the missile to lock on to it by mistake, state-run media said
Nineteen Iranian sailors have been killed and 15 wounded after a frigate accidentally fired a cruise missile at one of its own support vessels during a training exercise, state media reports
Unconfirmed videos showed wounded sailors being pulled from the scene, in the Gulf of Oman, by passing fishing vessels before being taken ashore
Nineteen people were 'martyred' in the friendly-fire incident, the ISNA news agency said, while another 15 were admitted to hospital in a 'good condition'.
Iranian media denied earlier reports that the Konarak had sunk, saying the vessel was towed away for inspection afterwards.
The Konarak had been overhauled in 2018 and was able to launch sea and anti-ship missiles but was not actively participating in the drill, state outlets said.
The Dutch-made, 155ft vessel was in service since 1988 and had capacity of 40 tons.
The friendly fire incident happened on Sunday near the port of Jask, some 790 miles southeast of Tehran, in the Gulf of Oman, state TV said.
It comes after Iran accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane as it was taking off from Tehran airport earlier this year, killing all 176 on board.
An image purporting to show the stricken Konarak support vessel after it was struck by a Noor cruise missile on Sunday night
The Iranian Jamaran frigate (front, centre) is pictured during a training exercise alongside Chinese and Russian forces in December last year
The friendly-fire incident happened on Sunday night near the port of Jask, in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic choke-point for the world's oil supply
The shoot-down came shortly after Iran had fired cruise missiles at US bases in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of General Qassem Soleimani.
Fearing retaliation by American forces, Iranian anti-aircraft gunners are believed to have targeted the jet by mistake thinking it was an American warplane.
Iran regularly holds naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman, which is close to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world's oil passes.
The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which monitors the region, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iranian media rarely report on mishaps during its exercises, signaling the severity of the incident.
This incident also comes amid months of heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. since President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers in 2018 and imposed crushing sanctions on the country.
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