What Led to the Killing of 19 Iranian Sailors by Friendly Fire?

The Iranian navy has issued a statement about the recent deaths of Iranian sailors in the Gulf of Oman, but has stopped short of giving details about how many people lost their lives, or admitting that the casualties were the result of Iranian fire. 

In a statement on Monday, May 11, the navy of the Islamic Republic confirmed that 19 sailors had been killed and 15 injured during a naval maneuver in the Gulf of Oman. "On Sunday evening... during naval exercises carried out by a number of the naval force vessels in the waters of Jask and Chabahar, there was an accident involving the Konarak light support ship vessel, causing the martyrdom of a number of brave members of the naval forces," the statement read.

But in contrast to earlier reports by the media, the statement did not refer to the exact number of casualties and made no mention that the Konarak was hit by a cruise missile fired by the Iranian frigate Jamaran.

Prior to the navy’s statement, on Sunday evening, Iranian media had reported that Jamaran had mistakenly fired a missile at Konarak during a naval exercise, resulting in a number of deaths and injuries and that other sailors were missing. Agencies also posted a video showing the injured as they were being transferred to the shore.

Because the missile was fired from an Iranian vessel and hit another Iranian vessel, no third country followed up the incident and, apart from the navy’s statement, no official details have been published. As is customary, the Iranian government and military officials have remained silent about the deadly accident.

Heshmatollah Falahat-Pisheh, a member of the parliament and the former chairman of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, warned President Rouhani that the incident was “unacceptable” and demanded that the “true dimensions” of what happened should be explained — an implicit reference to the Islamic Republic’s tendency to cover up negative news.

The Konarak was hit by friendly fire in the Gulf of Oman exactly 123 days after the Revolutionary Guards fired the two missiles that brought down Ukraine Airlines Flight 752 leaving Tehran, killing 176 passengers and crew. The government denied any responsibility for three days until, under pressure from Ukraine and Canada, it was forced to announce that the Revolutionary Guards’ air defense had fired on the plane because they had mistaken it for a cruise missile.

Even though Iran accepted the responsibility for its “human error,” four months later it is yet to hand over the plane’s black box to Ukraine or to take any action to extract the data from the black box. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Iran did not have the necessary equipment to extract the information from the black box but, nevertheless, it was not willing to send it to another country. Later, Iranian and Ukrainian officials announced that they had reached an agreement to transport the black box out of Iran, but this is yet to happen, giving more ammunition to those who claim Iran intentionally shot down the plane.

Aside from the refusal to provide help in investigating the incident, there has been no sign that those responsible for the missile attack have been held accountable or have been punished in any way. And now, for a second time within the span of five months, Iranian missiles are to blame for a deadly incident. This time, however, because no non-Iranian party was involved, Iran has been able to hide the reasons for the incident. But there can be no doubt that it will have serious consequences in the turbulent Persian Gulf region.

What are the Likely Consequences?

The deadly missile mishap in the waters of the Gulf of Oman close to the strategic Strait of Hormuz is bound to have an immediate impact on commerce and to drive up the rate of insurance for maritime transportation in the area. And when the insurance rate for vessels, the goods they carry and their passengers increase, those goods will cost more, passing extra expenses on to consumers.

Rising insurance rates for shipping in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf have been and will continue to be the result of undisciplined Iranian action taken in these waters. Due to the tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic, Iran is constantly engaged in naval exercises in the area. In order to carry out these exercises, Iran is required to notify the region’s coastal countries and address their concerns. For any naval exercise around the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is required to inform Oman and can proceed only if that country agrees.

Mistakes do happen, but Iran’s repeated blunders in recent months could mean it gains a reputation for mistakes, rather than the errors appearing to be rare exceptions. Such a perception might dissuade the relevant coastal countries from agreeing to Iran’s military exercises in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.

For the last few months, the naval forces of a coalition of countries, including the United States, have been escorting commercial ships across the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has objected to these operations but, given the sense of instability in the region because of Iran's tensions with the US, and particularly with the latest incident of “friendly fire,” such a move now seems justified.

Less than two months ago, Revolutionary Guards’ navy speedboats came dangerously close to US warships. Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces announced that the tensions between the two countries had intensified so much that, at one point, they were close to exchanging fire.

From the viewpoint of the United States, some actions taken by the Iranian navy in the waters of the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf have been “unprofessional” and have been conducted “without appropriate safety measures.” Until now, however, the Islamic Republic has been able to counter this and ensure these operations have been acceptable. 

With the latest incident, military forces in the Persian Gulf might conclude that they have to take preemptive action against Iran’s “unprofessional” behavior. In April, President Trump tweeted that he had instructed the US Navy to "shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats" that harass US ships.

It is unclear what might happen if Iran, by mistake, launched a deadly attack on commercial vessels or, worse, on warships of other military forces in the region. In 1987, toward the end of the war with Iraq, Iran miscalculated how the US would respond to a military provocation, and this miscalculation led to a clash between the two countries that resulted in extensive damage to the Iranian navy and the destruction of two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf. The extensive US military presence in the Persian Gulf region and the US Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain are among the consequences of Iran’s miscalculations and errors in the early years following the Islamic Revolution. 

The consequences could be minimized if the Islamic Republic accepts responsibility, clarifies why the error was committed, goes after those responsible, assures other countries that it will address the issues that led to this deadly incident, and comes clean when responding to families who have lost their loved ones.

Legally, the victims’ families can complain to the military courts and, if they do, the response their complaints receive will demonstrate how the Islamic Republic plans to deal with its most recent deadly blunder.

Related Coverage:

Crash Victims’ Families Call on Airlines to Uphold Ban on Flights to Iran, 10 May 2020