In the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian navy frigate has fired a missile at its own ship, Iranian media report. A death would certainly have happened; an unknown number of passengers were injured. They sailed on a supply ship, which set targets for a naval exercise. The ship is said to have been “too close to the target”, a state channel reported on TV.
The naval frigate belongs to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. In January, that elite unit shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane at Tehran, killing all 176 occupants.
Iran regularly conducts military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, the strait between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula that is critical for oil transportation. Attacks on oil installations and hostage taking of oil tankers have further exacerbated tension in the region. Among others, the Dutch navy ship Zr. Ms. De Ruyter patrols the waters around the Strait of Hormuz to ensure the free passage of merchant ships and tankers.
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