Accidental fire and terrible collateral damage. The Iranian military said on Monday that 19 people were killed and 15 others injured when an Iranian warship was hit by a friendly missile during a naval exercise in the Gulf of Oman.
Sunday afternoon, during an exercise conducted by several naval vessels in the waters of Jask and Chabahar (southeast), the light support ship Konarak had an accident, "added the press release published on the site Army internet.
This is the second such blunder on Iranian soil this year. In January, the Tehran regime admitted to being behind the crash of a Ukrainian Boeing, which claimed the lives of 176 people.
The ship sank, according to the Persian agency Tasnim
According to the Iranian army, the logistical support ship Konaraka was hit on Sunday "after moving an exercise target to its destination, without creating enough distance between it and the target." The Iranian military has confirmed the death of a sailor, saying in a statement that an investigation had been opened into the cause of the accident.
For its part, the Tasnim news agency indicated in a tweet in English that Konarak had sunk. Tasnim, however, did not mention this detail on his page in Persian. Made in the Netherlands, Konarak was purchased by Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Weighing 447 tons and a length of 47 meters, the ship is equipped with four cruise missiles installed on board, according to state television which did not specify the number of crews on board at the time of the 'accident.
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Tensions between Tehran and Washington, enemies of more than 40 years, have remained high since the United States unilaterally denounced in 2018 the Iranian international nuclear agreement (concluded in 2015) before reimposing heavy economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic.