IRAN (IMNA) _ Speaking in remembrance of the 290 victims of Iran Air Flight 655, shot down by the US warship USS Vincennes over the Persian Gulf in 1988, Baghaei on Thursday highlighted Washington’s failure to hold anyone accountable for the tragedy. Instead, the ship’s commander was awarded a medal.
Baghaei accused the US of hypocrisy, noting that it dismissed the attack as a military error while condemning a similar incident in 1983, when the Soviet Union shot down a Korean Air flight, rejecting their claim of mistaken identity.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has sharply criticized the United States for its blatant disregard for international law and inconsistent stance on human life.
Speaking in remembrance of the 290 victims of Iran Air Flight 655, shot down by the US warship USS Vincennes over the Persian Gulf in 1988, Baghaei on Thursday highlighted Washington’s failure to hold anyone accountable for the tragedy. Instead, the ship’s commander was awarded a medal.
Baghaei accused the US of hypocrisy, noting that it dismissed the attack as a military error while condemning a similar incident in 1983, when the Soviet Union shot down a Korean Air flight, rejecting their claim of mistaken identity.
On July 3, 1988, the U.S. warship USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655, a civilian passenger flight, killing all 290 innocent civilians on board. No one was ever prosecuted. Instead, the ship’s commander was awarded a medal.
The USS Vincennes fired missiles at an Iran Air Airbus A300B2, which was flying over the Strait of Hormuz from the port city of Bandar Abbas to Dubai, carrying 274 passengers and 16 crew members.
Following the attack, the plane disintegrated and crashed into the Persian Gulf waters, killing all 290 on board, among them 66 children.
The US maintained that the civilian airliner was mistaken for a hostile aircraft. This is while the warship was equipped with highly sophisticated radar systems and electronic battle gear at the time of the attack.
In 1990, the captain of the cruiser, William C. Rogers, was cleared of any wrongdoing and was even awarded America’s Legion of Merit medal by then US president George Bush for his “outstanding service” during operations in the Persian Gulf.
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