Reports of Iran accidentally hitting a support ship have turned out to be true, with Iran confirming that the incident happened near Jask, during a live-fire training exercise. The army has reported at least 19 sailors were killed, and 15 others wounded.
Iranian officials say that the Konarak, the struck support ship, was “too close” to a target for the exercise, and the Jamaran hit it with a cruise missile. This is a common site for Iranian naval exercises, but such accidents are very rare.
Iran’s Navy responded by praising personnel involved in the rescue of those injured in the accident, saying that they had shown “exemplary courage” in recovering survivors. The Konarak has been towed to the shore and transferred for examination.
Either way, the incident is potentially embarrassing for Iran’s security forces, and officials are likely to try to explain it away as a simple error.
Such accidents are ‘very rare’…. riiight. Well, they hit a target, anyway… and it didn’t sink.
Sabre-rattling in the Persian Gulf was getting waaay out of hand.
Assuming this is not an honest accident, Iran should have tested anti-ship missiles in the Caspian Sea, just in case the Americans were expecting a missile exercise to pounce upon. Fortunately, it wasn’t Tonkin incident, but likely a spoofing one.
At least the Iranians know, they aren’t bullet proof and the U.S. is not someone to engage in an immaturity contest. However, they should have learned that with Ukraine Flight 752, which also was kind of unnatural.
they want to be given a mulligan on this one. we may have to exclude them from the straight of hormuz if they aren’t more attentive. we may lift a sanction if it happens again.