An Iranian warship was struck by a friendly fire missile during naval defence practices, killing 19 sailors, reports the army and the state media on Monday, despite tensions in the Gulf waters.
The state television reported on its website that the bizarre incident which involved the Konarak vessel happened on Sunday afternoon near Bandar-e Jask, off the southern coast of the Islamic republic.
“The vessel was hit after moving a practice target to its destination and not creating enough distance between itself and the target,” said the channel.
According to a statement released by the armed forces, 19 crewmen were killed and 15 incurred injuries.
The statement read that the Konarak had been involved in an “accident” during the exercises, without further elaboration.
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However, the damaged vessel had been towed back to base for “technical investigations”, it added, calling on people to “avoid speculation” until further investigations are concluded.
According to the Tasnim news agency via an English-language tweet, the Konarak vessel was struck by the missile fired by another Iranian warship.
The vessel had been hit by “‘friendly fire’ after Moudge-class frigate ‘Jamaran’ accidentally shot it with a missile during live firing exercise in Jask area of Persian Gulf waters”.
Mohammad-Mehran Aminifard, head of the province’s medical university said the 15 injured crew members were hospitalised in Sistan and Baluchistan.
Aminifard revealed to news agency, ISNA that two of the sailors were in intensive care.
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The Konarak is a vessel manufactured in the Netherlands for the purpose of logistical support and acquired by Iran before the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Weighing 447 tonnes and 47 metres (154 feet) long, the Hendijan-class vessel is equipped with four cruise missiles, according to state television.
It was initially unclear how many crew members were aboard the warship at the time the accident occurred.
Iran and its arch rival, the United States have had unsettled scores in the past year over a spate of incidents involving their forces in the sensitive Gulf waters.
Their latest high-seas confrontation came on April 15, when the United States claimed Iranian boats had “harassed” its navy ships in the waterway.
US President Donald Trump then tweeted that he had ordered the US Navy to “shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea”.
Tensions have escalated since 2018 when Trump withdrew the United States from a multinational accord that froze Iran’s nuclear programme and reimposed crippling sanctions on its economy.
Iran’s armed forces in January mistakingly shot down a Kiev-bound Boeing 737 passenger jet shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard.
The military admitted to the catastrophic error, saying it came as Iran’s air defences were on high alert after firing a barrage of missiles at US troops stationed in Iraq.
In retaliation for the United States’ killing of its top general Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike days before that, the Iran government launched its missiles.
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