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[Long-Term Care Partners](https://www.navytimes.com/native/ltcp/) - [Navy Federal](https://www.navytimes.com/native/navy-federal/) - [Digital EditionOpens in new window](https://navytimes-va.newsmemory.com/) - [Installation GuideOpens in new window](http://installationguide.militarytimes.com/) #### [Your Navy](https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy) # A crash’s grim echoes of Iran Air flight 655 By Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press Jan 10, 2020  On July 3, 1988, the crew of the guided- missile cruiser Vincennes stands at attention to salute the guided-missile frigate Samuel B. Roberts, which left the Persian Gulf. The Western allegation that Iran shot down a Ukrainian jetliner and killed 176 people offers a grim echo for the Islamic Republic, which found itself the victim of an accidental shootdown by American forces over 30 years ago. (Greg English/AP) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Western allegation that Iran shot down a Ukrainian jetliner and killed 176 people offers a grim echo for the Islamic Republic, which found itself the victim of an accidental shootdown by American forces over 30 years ago. The July 3, 1988 downing of [Iran Air flight 655](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-020/h-020-1-uss-vincennes-tragedy--.html) by the U.S. Navy remains one of the moments the Iranian government points to in its decades-long distrust of America. They rank it alongside the 1953 CIA-backed coup that toppled its elected prime minister and secured Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s absolute power until he abdicated the throne before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. As recently as last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani referenced the attack in criticizing President Donald Trump's comments that U.S. forces had picked out 52 targets to be attacked in Iran if needed, one for each of the American hostages held after the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover. "Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. \#IR655," Rouhani wrote on Twitter. "Never threaten the Iranian nation."  On July 7, 1988, mourners carried coffins through the streets of Tehran during a mass funeral for the victims from Iran Air Flight 655, which was shot down by the guided-missile cruiser Vincennes in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Canadian Press) The attack on the Iran Air flight followed what the U.S. Navy refers to as [Operation Praying Mantis](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/middle-east/praying-mantis.html), a daylong naval battle in the Persian Gulf between American forces and Iran during the country’s long 1980s war with Iraq. That battle came after the guided-missile frigate [Samuel B. Roberts](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/ships/modern-ships/uss-samuel-b--roberts--ffg-58-.html) struck a mine that the Americans later accused Iran of laying in the shipping channels it was trying to keep open for Kuwaiti oil tankers amid the so-called “[Tanker War](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-018/h-018-1.html).” After the battle, U.S. forces continued to patrol shipping channels while Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard often harassed or swarmed incoming ships with smaller vessels. That’s a tactic used even today in the narrows of [the Strait of Hormuz](https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/01/08/explainer-could-iran-close-the-strait-of-hormuz/), through which 20 percent of the world’s oil passes. ###### RELATED  ###### [Explainer: Could Iran close the Strait of Hormuz?](https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/01/08/explainer-could-iran-close-the-strait-of-hormuz/) ###### About 21 percent of the world's crude oil travels through a 21-mile-wide waterway. By Rockford Weitz, Tufts University Just after dawn on July 3, 1988, the guided-missile cruiser Vincennes sent a helicopter to hover over Iranian speedboats the Navy described as harassing commercial ships. The Iranians fired on the helicopter and the Vincennes gave chase, the Navy said. Unacknowledged for years afterward by the Navy though, the Vincennes had crossed into Iranian territorial waters in pursuit. It began firing at the Iranian ships there. As the fighting raged, Iran Air flight 655 took off from Bandar Abbas, Iran, heading for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The Airbus A300 began its ascent as normal, part of a twice-weekly route flown by the airline for over 20 years. The captain communicated with air traffic controllers in English. His last message was: “Thank you, good day.” The Vincennes meanwhile had mistaken the commercial aircraft for an Iranian F-14, despite having state-of-the-art combat equipment at the time. The U.S. says the Navy made 11 radio warning calls on different frequencies before the Vincennes fired two missiles at the airplane, bringing it down and killing all on board. The aircraft’s “black box” flight recorders were never recovered.  In this July 3, 2011 photo, an Iranian woman scatters flower into the Persian Gulf at the site where an Iranian passenger plane was downed by a U.S. warship, killing all 290 on board. (Ali Hashemi/AP) The deaths shocked Iran, even amid the carnage of the war with Iraq, which would kill 1 million people. Sixty-six of the dead were infants and children. Authorities lined up wooden caskets of some of the dead in front of parliament in Tehran. Iran ultimately would sue the U.S., reaching a \$131.8 million settlement. The U.S. later would give Vincennes Capt. William C. Rogers the country’s Legion of Merit award, further angering Iran. In the years since, Iran state television airs live footage on the anniversary of mourners wailing from boats at the spot the plane went down, tossing flowers into the warm waters of the Persian Gulf. In recent years, hard-liners have begun linking the tragedy to Trump’s campaign targeting Tehran, which included unilaterally withdrawing the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers and reimposing crushing sanctions. Trump’s decision to include Iran among nations in his still-standing visa bans also angers Iranians with relatives in America or those hoping to study there. But there's also widespread anger against Iran's government bubbling underneath the surface. Economic protests have rocked the country, with the last round in November over government-set gasoline prices rising seeing over 300 people reportedly killed. The Iranian rial, around 32,000 to \$1 at the time of the 2015 nuclear deal, is now 135,000 to \$1.  In this July 3, 2011 photo, Iranians scatter flowers into the Persian Gulf at the site where an Iranian passenger plane was downed by a U.S. warship, killing all 290 on board. (Majid Jamshidi/Fars News Agency) Portraying the U.S. as a menace has helped bolster support of Iran’s government in the past. The U.S. drone strike that killed Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week in Baghdad helped with that, seeing over a million people turn up in Tehran alone for his multi-city funeral procession. But even that processional ended with a stampede in Soleimani's hometown that killed at least 56 people and injured over 200 more. That night, Iran launched its ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops and buried the general. At dawn, news broke about the crash of the Ukrainian flight.  The guided-missile cruiser Vincennes at sea, on a calm day, in June 1986. (U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command) **Navy Times editor’s note:** For a more detailed account of the 3 July 1988 tragedy and a discussion about how the fog of war contributed to it, we strongly advise reading [this primer](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-020/h-020-1-uss-vincennes-tragedy--.html) written by [Samuel J. Cox](https://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/About/Senior-Executives/Biographies/Cox,%20S.pdf), a retired rear admiral and the director of U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. He perhaps is especially suited to distributing blame and assessing what watchstanders believed was happening during those terrible moments in 1988. Rear Adm. Cox received the National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal for leading the multinational probe into the 2010 sinking of the [South Korean corvette Cheonan](https://my.nps.edu/-/director-of-naval-history-details-sinking-of-south-korean-corvette). ###### Share: ###### [In Other News](https://www.navytimes.com/)  ###### [‘Prepare your family’: Marine Reserve commander gives warlike safety brief](https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/04/02/prepare-your-family-marine-reserve-commander-gives-warlike-safety-brief/) ###### In a March 26 message on his official letterhead, Lt. Gen. Leonard F. Anderson IV asked his Marines, "Are you truly ready to deploy, fight, and win?"  ###### [‘Drone Hunters of Kherson’ takes viewers into a war that blends ‘trench warfare and the Terminator’](https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/04/02/drone-hunters-of-kherson-take-viewers-into-a-war-that-blends-trench-warfare-and-the-terminator/) ###### The documentary focuses on an American embed as he follows Ukrainian counter-drone units patrolling against the Russian threat.  ###### [‘Infrastructure is the weapon’: Inside the race to build portable interceptor factories](https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/04/01/infrastructure-is-the-weapon-inside-the-race-to-build-portable-interceptor-factories/) ###### As the Iran war drives global demand for interceptor drones, defense startups are betting they can fit a production line into a shipping container.  ###### [Fewer service members died by suicide in 2024 than year prior, report finds](https://www.navytimes.com/veterans/2026/03/31/fewer-service-members-died-by-suicide-in-2024-than-year-prior-report-finds/) ###### The report on 2024 suicides found a decrease in the total force suicide rate, though active component rates have steadily increased from 2011 to 2024.  ###### [Feds sue towing company for allegedly illegally auctioning off troops’ cars — including many towed from base](https://www.navytimes.com/pay-benefits/mil-money/2026/03/26/feds-sue-towing-company-for-allegedly-illegally-auctioning-off-troops-cars-including-many-towed-from-base/) ###### Some of the vehicles were auctioned off in spite of being registered to on-base addresses, including barracks. 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[Your Navy](https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy) By Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press Jan 10, 2020  On July 3, 1988, the crew of the guided- missile cruiser Vincennes stands at attention to salute the guided-missile frigate Samuel B. Roberts, which left the Persian Gulf. The Western allegation that Iran shot down a Ukrainian jetliner and killed 176 people offers a grim echo for the Islamic Republic, which found itself the victim of an accidental shootdown by American forces over 30 years ago. (Greg English/AP) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Western allegation that Iran shot down a Ukrainian jetliner and killed 176 people offers a grim echo for the Islamic Republic, which found itself the victim of an accidental shootdown by American forces over 30 years ago. The July 3, 1988 downing of [Iran Air flight 655](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-020/h-020-1-uss-vincennes-tragedy--.html) by the U.S. Navy remains one of the moments the Iranian government points to in its decades-long distrust of America. They rank it alongside the 1953 CIA-backed coup that toppled its elected prime minister and secured Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s absolute power until he abdicated the throne before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. As recently as last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani referenced the attack in criticizing President Donald Trump's comments that U.S. forces had picked out 52 targets to be attacked in Iran if needed, one for each of the American hostages held after the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover. "Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. \#IR655," Rouhani wrote on Twitter. "Never threaten the Iranian nation."  On July 7, 1988, mourners carried coffins through the streets of Tehran during a mass funeral for the victims from Iran Air Flight 655, which was shot down by the guided-missile cruiser Vincennes in the Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Canadian Press) The attack on the Iran Air flight followed what the U.S. Navy refers to as [Operation Praying Mantis](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/middle-east/praying-mantis.html), a daylong naval battle in the Persian Gulf between American forces and Iran during the country’s long 1980s war with Iraq. That battle came after the guided-missile frigate [Samuel B. Roberts](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/ships/modern-ships/uss-samuel-b--roberts--ffg-58-.html) struck a mine that the Americans later accused Iran of laying in the shipping channels it was trying to keep open for Kuwaiti oil tankers amid the so-called “[Tanker War](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-018/h-018-1.html).” After the battle, U.S. forces continued to patrol shipping channels while Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard often harassed or swarmed incoming ships with smaller vessels. That’s a tactic used even today in the narrows of [the Strait of Hormuz](https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/01/08/explainer-could-iran-close-the-strait-of-hormuz/), through which 20 percent of the world’s oil passes. ###### RELATED  Just after dawn on July 3, 1988, the guided-missile cruiser Vincennes sent a helicopter to hover over Iranian speedboats the Navy described as harassing commercial ships. The Iranians fired on the helicopter and the Vincennes gave chase, the Navy said. Unacknowledged for years afterward by the Navy though, the Vincennes had crossed into Iranian territorial waters in pursuit. It began firing at the Iranian ships there. As the fighting raged, Iran Air flight 655 took off from Bandar Abbas, Iran, heading for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The Airbus A300 began its ascent as normal, part of a twice-weekly route flown by the airline for over 20 years. The captain communicated with air traffic controllers in English. His last message was: “Thank you, good day.” The Vincennes meanwhile had mistaken the commercial aircraft for an Iranian F-14, despite having state-of-the-art combat equipment at the time. The U.S. says the Navy made 11 radio warning calls on different frequencies before the Vincennes fired two missiles at the airplane, bringing it down and killing all on board. The aircraft’s “black box” flight recorders were never recovered.  In this July 3, 2011 photo, an Iranian woman scatters flower into the Persian Gulf at the site where an Iranian passenger plane was downed by a U.S. warship, killing all 290 on board. (Ali Hashemi/AP) The deaths shocked Iran, even amid the carnage of the war with Iraq, which would kill 1 million people. Sixty-six of the dead were infants and children. Authorities lined up wooden caskets of some of the dead in front of parliament in Tehran. Iran ultimately would sue the U.S., reaching a \$131.8 million settlement. The U.S. later would give Vincennes Capt. William C. Rogers the country’s Legion of Merit award, further angering Iran. In the years since, Iran state television airs live footage on the anniversary of mourners wailing from boats at the spot the plane went down, tossing flowers into the warm waters of the Persian Gulf. In recent years, hard-liners have begun linking the tragedy to Trump’s campaign targeting Tehran, which included unilaterally withdrawing the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers and reimposing crushing sanctions. Trump’s decision to include Iran among nations in his still-standing visa bans also angers Iranians with relatives in America or those hoping to study there. But there's also widespread anger against Iran's government bubbling underneath the surface. Economic protests have rocked the country, with the last round in November over government-set gasoline prices rising seeing over 300 people reportedly killed. The Iranian rial, around 32,000 to \$1 at the time of the 2015 nuclear deal, is now 135,000 to \$1.  In this July 3, 2011 photo, Iranians scatter flowers into the Persian Gulf at the site where an Iranian passenger plane was downed by a U.S. warship, killing all 290 on board. (Majid Jamshidi/Fars News Agency) Portraying the U.S. as a menace has helped bolster support of Iran’s government in the past. The U.S. drone strike that killed Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week in Baghdad helped with that, seeing over a million people turn up in Tehran alone for his multi-city funeral procession. But even that processional ended with a stampede in Soleimani's hometown that killed at least 56 people and injured over 200 more. That night, Iran launched its ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops and buried the general. At dawn, news broke about the crash of the Ukrainian flight.  The guided-missile cruiser Vincennes at sea, on a calm day, in June 1986. (U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command) **Navy Times editor’s note:** For a more detailed account of the 3 July 1988 tragedy and a discussion about how the fog of war contributed to it, we strongly advise reading [this primer](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-020/h-020-1-uss-vincennes-tragedy--.html) written by [Samuel J. Cox](https://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/About/Senior-Executives/Biographies/Cox,%20S.pdf), a retired rear admiral and the director of U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. He perhaps is especially suited to distributing blame and assessing what watchstanders believed was happening during those terrible moments in 1988. Rear Adm. Cox received the National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal for leading the multinational probe into the 2010 sinking of the [South Korean corvette Cheonan](https://my.nps.edu/-/director-of-naval-history-details-sinking-of-south-korean-corvette).