Iranian navy friendly fire incident kills 19 amid US tension

By NASSER KARIMI and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A missile fired during an Iranian training exercise has mistakenly struck a naval vessel instead of its intended target in waters near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, killing 19 sailors and wounding 15 others.

The Iranian army says that its naval support ship was too close to a target during an exercise on Sunday.

The vessel had been putting targets out for other vessels to target.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and the U.S.

It also raises new questions about the readiness of the Islamic Republic's armed forces amid the coronavirus pandemic, just months after accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian jetliner near Tehran, killing 176 passengers.