Iranian navy fires missile at own ship, killing one and injuring others

One sailor has been killed and others injured after an Iranian missile fired during a training exercise struck a naval support ship near its target in the Gulf of Oman.

Iranian state TV said the “friendly fire” incident happened on Sunday near the port of Jask, 790 miles southeast of Tehran.

The missile struck the Konarak, which had been putting targets out in the water for other ships to fire at.

The Dutch-made 155-foot-long vessel, which usually carries a crew of 20 sailors, was in service since 1988 and had been overhauled in 2018 and was able to launch sea missiles, Iranian media reported.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said the frigate Jamaran “accidentally shot the Konarak ship with a missile”.

A local hospital admitted 12 sailors and treated another three with slight wounds, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Unconfirmed posts on social media claimed dozens had been killed.

Iran regularly holds exercises in the region, which is close to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital shipping lane for oil and gas.

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