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DUBAI – The Iranian navy said in a statement on Monday that friendly fire killed 19 sailors and wounded 15 others when an Iranian missile struck a support ship in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday.
State television quoted the statement as saying the accident occurred during naval training in the Gulf.
The Gulf of Oman is a particularly sensitive waterway because it connects to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the year ‘s oil passes, which in turn connects to the Gulf.
Television quoted the Iranian navy as saying that “the accident occurred in the vicinity of the southern Iranian port of Jask in the Gulf of Oman during exercises by the Iranian navy on Sunday.”
The Iranian armed forces often carry out training in that area.
The Fars News Agency had said the accident happened on the Konarac support ship, a locally manufactured warship that joined the Navy in 2018.
“The circumstances of the accident are currently under technical examination,” the ISNA news agency said.
But Iran’s Tasnim news agency said another ship accidentally fired a missile at Konarak while training with live ammunition.
“The Iranian frigate Jamaran accidentally fired a missile at the Konarak,” added the semi-official news agency.
