19 Iranian sailors are dead… after two Iranian naval vessels accidentally went to battle with each other.
On Sunday, a new anti-ship missile was being tested by Iranian anval ship, Jamaran, in the Gulf of Oman.
At the same time, a support ship, the Konarak, was setting targets for the test around the nearby Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that’s critical to global oil transportation.
According to Iranian state TV, the Konorak was struck “after moving a practice target to its destination and not creating enough distance between itself and the target.”
The anti-ship missile did what it was designed to do: sink a ship. The Konorak was struck, killing 19 and injuring 15, some severely.
It’s unclear, exactly, how the Konorak was hit. Sources say that the Jamaran may have locked onto the shop instead of the nearby target. Other sources say it could have been a mistake by the Jamaran’s crew.
The Konorak, still burning, was quickly towed to the nearby port of Chabahar. It suffered extensive damage.