Iranian Warship Hit by Missile During Training Exercise, 19 Killed

Iran’s Jamaran frigate. The incident took place during a training session in the Gulf of Oman where Iran regularly conducts exercises.

(Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)  

Nineteen sailors died as an Iranian warship accidentally struck another with a missile during a naval exercise, while 15 others have been wounded, state media and the army said on 11 May amid tensions with the US in Gulf Waters, NDTV reported.

The incident took place during a training session in the Gulf of Oman. Iran regularly conducts exercises in the area. This is a sensitive waterway that connects to the Strait of Hormuz through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes, The Tribune reported.

The Jamaran, a frigate, had been attempting to hit a target with one of its Noor cruise missiles when it accidentally struck a support ship named Konarak instead. The Konarak had been placing targets for the Janaran to hit but remained too close to one of them causing the missile to lock on to it by mistake, state-run media said, according to Daily Mail.

"The vessel was hit after moving a practice target to its destination and not creating enough distance between itself and the target," state media said.

"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," state TV said, quoting the navy, according to The Tribune.

Fars news agency quoted an unidentified military official as denying some Iranian media reports that the Konarak had sunk.

This comes after Iran accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane as it was taking off from Tehran airport earlier this year, killing all 176 on board.