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An Iranian missile fired during a training exercise in the Gulf of Oman hit a support ship near its target, killing 19 Iranian sailors and injuring 15, Iranian state media reported Monday, amid tensions between Tehran and Washington. .
The statement significantly increased the death toll in Sunday’s incident from what was reported hours earlier, when Iran’s state media said at least one sailor had died.
The Konarak, a Hendijan-class support ship that participated in the exercise, was too close to a target during an exercise when the incident occurred, according to reports. The ship had been setting targets for other ships when it was accidentally hit, according to the report.
The friendly fire incident took place near the port of Jask, 790 miles southeast of Tehran, in the Gulf of Oman.
A local hospital admitted 12 sailors and treated three others with minor injuries, the state news agency IRNA reported.
Iranian media said Konarak had been overhauled in 2018 and was able to launch missiles. The Dutch-made 47-meter (155-foot) vessel had been in service since 1988 and had a capacity of 40 tons. It usually carries a crew of 20 sailors.
Iran towed the Konarak to a nearby naval base after the attack. A photograph released by the army showed burn marks and some damage to the ship, although the army did not immediately offer detailed photographs of the site of the missile’s impact.
Iran regularly exercises in the region, which is near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Gulf through which 20% of the world’s oil passes. The 5th Fleet of the US Navy. The US, which monitors the region, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iranian media rarely report mishaps during the exercises, indicating the seriousness of the incident. The incident also comes after months of intense tensions between Iran and the US. USA Since Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018 and imposed crushing sanctions on the country.
It was the second serious incident related to a missile fired by the Iranian armed forces this year. After attacking US forces in Iraq with ballistic missiles in January in response to the US assassination of General Qassem Suleimani, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard accidentally shot down a Ukrainian plane, killing all 176 people on board.
