Iran naval accident is Said to kill at least 20 during exercise

An Iranian naval vessel was apparently hit by another’s missile during a military exercise in the Sea of Oman on Sunday, sinking the ship and leaving at least 20 people dead, according to people familiar with the incident and to social media reports from Iran.

Details of the incident were scant, and an official statement from Iran’s military on Monday said only that at least one person had died and several had been hurt. But four people with knowledge of the incident said the ship, identified as the missile boat Konarak, was hit and sunk by a missile from the frigate Jamaran by mistake. They spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid reprisal from Iranian officials.

“The scope of the incident is under investigation by experts,” the navy’s statement said.