Iran Navy Missile Strikes Own Ship During Training, 19 Sailors Dead

An Iranian warship, during a military exercise mistakenly fired a missile at one of its vessels, killing about 19 sailors while 15 sustained injuries.

This was disclosed by Iran’s Navy on Monday.

“The incident took place in the perimeter of Iran’s southern Bandar-e Jask port on the Gulf of Oman during Iranian Navy drills on Sunday afternoon, in which 19 sailors were killed and 15 others were injured,” Iran Navy said on State Television.

The Navy also said that investigations were underway to ascertain what went wrong.

Meanwhile, the head of Sistan and Baluchistan Medical University, Mohammad-Mehran Aminifard, said that the injured sailors were hospitalized while two were in intensive care unit.

Reuters reports that the incident took place during training in the Gulf of Oman, a sensitive waterway that connects to the Strait of Hormuz through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes; and where Iran regularly conducts exercises.