🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 84 (from laksa189)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa084.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/world/middleeast/iran-air-flight-655-history.html\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/world/middleeast/iran-air-flight-655-history.html\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/11\/world\/middleeast\/iran-air-flight-655-history.html","crawl_time":1776307231,"first_indexed_time":1578752385,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,nytimes!www,\/2020\/01\/11\/world\/middleeast\/iran-air-flight-655-history.html s443","src_root_hash":"4566504020376537684","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Jet Crash in Iran Has Eerie Historical Parallel - The New York Times","meta_descriptions":["The United States accidentally downed an Iranian passenger jet in 1988, killing all 290 people aboard, amid a battle with Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Advertisement\nSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\nThe United States accidentally downed an Iranian passenger jet in 1988, killing all 290 people aboard, amid a battle with Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf.\nMourners carried coffins through the streets of Tehran during a mass funeral for the victims aboard Iran Air Flight 655, which was shot down by the U.S.S. Vincennes in the Persian Gulf in 1988.\nCredit...\nCanadian Press, via Associated Press\nJan. 11, 2020\nThe timing of the jet crash near Tehran on Wednesday — coming just hours after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi military bases housing American troops — immediately led to suspicion that the plane had been downed by a missile.\nThose suspicions were confirmed on Saturday, when Iranian officials\naccepted responsibility for the downing of the jet\n, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ukraine International Airlines, saying it was an accident caused by human error.\nThe 176 victims\nincluded many young Iranians,\nas well as Canadians\n, Afghans and Europeans from several countries.\nMany observers couldn’t help thinking of a strikingly similar plane crash in Iranian territory amid hostilities, more than 30 years ago, in the waning days of the Iran-Iraq war.\nOn July 3, 1988, as American and Iranian forces battled in the Persian Gulf, the United States Navy accidentally\nshot down an Iranian passenger jet, Iran Air Flight 655\n, which was bound for Dubai. Iranian outlets reported that 290 people were aboard the plane, including 66 children. There were no survivors.\nImage\nPresident Hassan Rouhani of Iran referred to that tragedy on Monday as he responded to a threat from President Trump to attack cultural sites.\nLast Saturday, Mr. Trump\nsaid on Twitter\nthat his office had made a list of 52 Iranian sites — representing the 52 hostages taken by Iran in 1979 — that would be “HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD” in the event of an Iranian attack.\nIn response, Mr. Rouhani wrote, “Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290.”\nThose who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290.\n#IR655\nNever threaten the Iranian nation.\n— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani)\nJanuary 6, 2020\nIran Air Flight 655, which Mr. Rouhani invoked with the hashtag #IR655, had set out for Dubai from the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf. At the same time on that July morning, the Vincennes, an American missile cruiser, was engaged in combat with Iranian boats in the gulf.\nThe Navy said later that it mistook the passenger plane, an Airbus A300, for a hostile F-14 fighter jet. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. William J. Crowe Jr., said that the Iranian plane was flying at low altitude and failed to respond to warnings or transmit radar signals identifying it as a civilian plane. The plane was brought down with a surface-to-air missile.\nPresident Ronald Reagan issued a statement from Camp David, saying the United States regretted the loss of life but defending the judgment of the skipper, Capt. Will C. Rogers III. A subsequent\nDefense Department investigation\nalso supported his actions, though it noted he was given inaccurate information as the plane approached. The investigators also faulted Iran for allowing the plane to fly into an active conflict zone.\nIn a strange twist, the following March, Captain Rogers’s wife, Sharon Lee Rogers, was driving near a shopping center in San Diego when what was believed to be a pipe bomb\nexploded in her car\n. She escaped uninjured. Investigators initially believed it was an act of terrorism related to Captain Rogers’s role in the deaths, but later “all but ruled out” the possibility,\nThe Los Angeles Times reported\n.\nCaptain Rogers was later awarded the Legion of Merit for his service in the Persian Gulf; an accompanying citation praised the captain’s\n“dynamic leadership” and “logical judgment.”\nA December 1988 report by an international panel of aviation experts\nfaulted the Navy\nfor failing to put in place procedures to keep civilian aircraft away from combat zones. The United States later paid millions to settle\na lawsuit that Iran filed\nover the matter at the International Court of Justice.\nKaren Zraick\nis a breaking news and general assignment reporter.\nRelated Content\nMore in Middle East\nHaiyun Jiang for The New York Times\nAirbus\nRonald Dumont\/Daily Express, via Hulton Archive, via Getty Images\nRaj Mehta\/Getty Images\nEditors’ Picks\nBoston Globe\nGetty Images\nTrending in The Times\nHeather Khalifa\/Associated Press\nJeremie Souteyrat for The New York Times\nGregg Vigliotti for The New York Times\n@Travelees via YouTube, via Reuters\nDaniel Leal\/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images\nDavid L. Ryan\/The Boston Globe, via Getty Images\nDakota Santiago for The New York Times\nFernando Ugarte\nAdvertisement\nSKIP ADVERTISEMENT","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/11\/world\/middleeast\/iran-air-flight-655-history.html#site-content)[Skip to site index](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/11\/world\/middleeast\/iran-air-flight-655-history.html#site-index)\n\nSearch & Section Navigation\n\nSection Navigation\n\nSearch\n\n[Middle East](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/world\/middleeast)\n\n[Log in](https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsubscription%2Fonboarding-offer%3FcampaignId%3D7JFJX%26EXIT_URI%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2020%252F01%252F11%252Fworld%252Fmiddleeast%252Firan-air-flight-655-history.html&asset=masthead)\n\nWednesday, April 15, 2026\n\n[Today’s Paper](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/todayspaper)\n\n[Middle East](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/world\/middleeast)\\|Jet Crash in Iran Has Eerie Historical Parallel\n\nhttps:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/11\/world\/middleeast\/iran-air-flight-655-history.html\n\n- Share full article\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/11\/world\/middleeast\/iran-air-flight-655-history.html#after-top)\n\nSupported by\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/11\/world\/middleeast\/iran-air-flight-655-history.html#after-sponsor)\n# Jet Crash in Iran Has Eerie Historical Parallel\nThe United States accidentally downed an Iranian passenger jet in 1988, killing all 290 people aboard, amid a battle with Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf.\n\n- Share full article\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/01\/11\/multimedia\/11xp-flight655-2\/11xp-flight655-2-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nMourners carried coffins through the streets of Tehran during a mass funeral for the victims aboard Iran Air Flight 655, which was shot down by the U.S.S. Vincennes in the Persian Gulf in 1988.Credit...Canadian Press, via Associated Press\n\n[![Karen Zraick](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/02\/13\/multimedia\/author-karen-zraick\/author-karen-zraick-thumbLarge-v3.png)](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/karen-zraick)\n\nBy [Karen Zraick](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/karen-zraick)\n\nJan. 11, 2020\n\n[See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google](https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?cs=0&hl=en&q=nytimes.com)\n\nThe timing of the jet crash near Tehran on Wednesday — coming just hours after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi military bases housing American troops — immediately led to suspicion that the plane had been downed by a missile.\n\nThose suspicions were confirmed on Saturday, when Iranian officials [accepted responsibility for the downing of the jet](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/10\/world\/middleeast\/missile-iran-plane-crash.html), a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ukraine International Airlines, saying it was an accident caused by human error. [The 176 victims](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/08\/world\/canada\/iran-plane-crash-victims.html) included many young Iranians, [as well as Canadians](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/10\/world\/canada\/iran-crash-victims-canada.html), Afghans and Europeans from several countries.\n\nMany observers couldn’t help thinking of a strikingly similar plane crash in Iranian territory amid hostilities, more than 30 years ago, in the waning days of the Iran-Iraq war.\n\nOn July 3, 1988, as American and Iranian forces battled in the Persian Gulf, the United States Navy accidentally [shot down an Iranian passenger jet, Iran Air Flight 655](https:\/\/timesmachine.nytimes.com\/timesmachine\/1988\/07\/04\/issue.html), which was bound for Dubai. Iranian outlets reported that 290 people were aboard the plane, including 66 children. There were no survivors.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/01\/10\/multimedia\/10xp-flight655-1\/10xp-flight655-1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nPresident Hassan Rouhani of Iran referred to that tragedy on Monday as he responded to a threat from President Trump to attack cultural sites.\n\nLast Saturday, Mr. Trump [said on Twitter](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1213593975732527112) that his office had made a list of 52 Iranian sites — representing the 52 hostages taken by Iran in 1979 — that would be “HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD” in the event of an Iranian attack.\n\nIn response, Mr. Rouhani wrote, “Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290.”\n\n> Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. [\\#IR655](https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/IR655?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)  \n> Never threaten the Iranian nation.\n> \n> — Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) [January 6, 2020](https:\/\/twitter.com\/HassanRouhani\/status\/1214236608196685824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nIran Air Flight 655, which Mr. Rouhani invoked with the hashtag \\#IR655, had set out for Dubai from the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf. At the same time on that July morning, the Vincennes, an American missile cruiser, was engaged in combat with Iranian boats in the gulf.\n\nThe Navy said later that it mistook the passenger plane, an Airbus A300, for a hostile F-14 fighter jet. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. William J. Crowe Jr., said that the Iranian plane was flying at low altitude and failed to respond to warnings or transmit radar signals identifying it as a civilian plane. The plane was brought down with a surface-to-air missile.\n\nPresident Ronald Reagan issued a statement from Camp David, saying the United States regretted the loss of life but defending the judgment of the skipper, Capt. Will C. Rogers III. A subsequent [Defense Department investigation](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20070316064937\/http:\/\/www.dod.mil\/pubs\/foi\/reading_room\/172.pdf) also supported his actions, though it noted he was given inaccurate information as the plane approached. The investigators also faulted Iran for allowing the plane to fly into an active conflict zone.\n\nIn a strange twist, the following March, Captain Rogers’s wife, Sharon Lee Rogers, was driving near a shopping center in San Diego when what was believed to be a pipe bomb [exploded in her car](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1989\/03\/11\/us\/blast-wrecks-van-of-skipper-who-downed-iran-jet.html). She escaped uninjured. Investigators initially believed it was an act of terrorism related to Captain Rogers’s role in the deaths, but later “all but ruled out” the possibility, [The Los Angeles Times reported](https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1991-03-07-mn-3265-story.html).\n\nCaptain Rogers was later awarded the Legion of Merit for his service in the Persian Gulf; an accompanying citation praised the captain’s [“dynamic leadership” and “logical judgment.”](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/archive\/politics\/1990\/04\/23\/2-vincennes-officers-get-medals\/cf383f02-05ce-435b-9086-5d61de569ed8\/)\n\n## Editors’ Picks\n[![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/fashion\/15-the-good-list-nl-Lede\/15-the-good-list-nl-Lede-thumbLarge.jpg)The Good List: 7 Things to Add Some Delight to Your Day](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/briefing\/15-the-good-list-brady-house-trains.html)\n\n[![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/26\/books\/review\/26TBR-Prose-FBHoriz\/26TBR-Prose-FBHoriz-thumbLarge.jpg)Bob Dylan and the Beatles: When the Fab Four Became the Fab Five](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/14\/books\/review\/where-the-music-had-to-go-jim-windolf.html)\n\n[![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/12\/multimedia\/00biz-corneroffice-peloton-vgzp\/00biz-corneroffice-peloton-vgzp-thumbLarge.jpg)Peloton’s Latest Leader Thinks He Can Coach It Back to Health](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/12\/business\/peloton-peter-stern.html)\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/11\/world\/middleeast\/iran-air-flight-655-history.html#after-pp_edpick)\n\nA December 1988 report by an international panel of aviation experts [faulted the Navy](https:\/\/timesmachine.nytimes.com\/timesmachine\/1988\/12\/04\/053088.html?pageNumber=3) for failing to put in place procedures to keep civilian aircraft away from combat zones. The United States later paid millions to settle [a lawsuit that Iran filed](https:\/\/www.icj-cij.org\/en\/case\/79) over the matter at the International Court of Justice.\n\nCommercial Flights Caught in the Crossfire\n\n[![]()In Plane Crash, a Day of Blame: Ukraine Weighs In and Iran Mulls Announcement Jan. 10, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/10\/world\/middleeast\/iran-ukraine-plane-crash.html)\n\n[![]()Iran Plane Crash Victims Came From at Least Seven Countries Jan. 8, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/08\/world\/canada\/iran-plane-crash-victims.html)\n\n[![]()Civilian Planes Shot Down: A Grim History Jan. 9, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/09\/world\/middleeast\/civilian-planes-shot-down.html)\n\n[Karen Zraick](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/karen-zraick) is a breaking news and general assignment reporter.\n\nSee more on: [Hassan Rouhani](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/topic\/hassan-rouhani), [U.S. Navy](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/topic\/organization\/us-navy)\n\n- Share full article\n\n***\n## Around the World With The Times\n### Our reporters across the globe take you into the field.\n***\n- **South Korea’s Medical Crisis:** Hundreds of patients every year have trouble finding emergency care, even though the country has a world-class medical system. [For some, the delays have been fatal](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/12\/world\/asia\/south-korea-emergency-room-medical-crisis.html).\n- **Is Norway the Solution to Europe’s Energy Needs?:** The war in Iran has once again exposed Europe’s energy vulnerability. [A friendly source at home](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/14\/world\/europe\/norway-oil-europe-war.html) would seem to be ideal. But it’s not that easy.\n- **Picking Up Prisoners Set Free:** Sugey Amaya’s brother was detained in El Salvador’s mass arrest campaign four years ago. [She has devoted her life to helping prisoners like him](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/world\/americas\/sugey-amaya-el-salvador-prisoners.html).\n- **The Global Profile:** Oleksiy Klochkovsky has [driven mail and parcels around the front line in Ukraine](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/world\/europe\/ukraine-russia-war-kharkiv-nova-poshta.html) for four years. He keeps one ear tuned for danger from above.\n\n## Related Content\n### [More in Middle East](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/world\/middleeast)\n- [Trump and Meloni Split Amid Growing Dispute Over Pope and Iran](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/world\/europe\/trump-meloni-italy-iran-pope.html)\n  \n  ![President Trump greeting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy at the White House last year. They were once considered close allies.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15int-italy-meloni-01-jzbm\/15int-italy-meloni-01-jzbm-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times\n- [Iran’s Underground Air Force Base Was Hit Earlier in the War](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/12\/world\/middleeast\/iran-underground-air-force-base.html)\n  \n  ![A satellite image shows new damage at the taxiway leading to the tunnel entrances of the underground facility. April 8, 2026.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/11\/video\/11-sateagle44wide\/11-sateagle44wide-square640.png?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Airbus\n- [‘Giant’ and Roald Dahl’s Antisemitism: What’s Fact and Fiction?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/theater\/roald-dahl-controversies-giant.html)\n  \n  ![The British author Roald Dahl in 1971.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/09\/multimedia\/09cul-giant-explainer-01-qzgm\/09cul-giant-explainer-01-qzgm-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Ronald Dumont\/Daily Express, via Hulton Archive, via Getty Images\n- [Saudi Fund to Back Away From LIV Golf Under Mounting Financial Pressures](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/world\/middleeast\/saudi-soverign-fund-liv-golf.html)\n  \n  ![Yasir al-Rumayyan, left, the head of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, presenting a trophy at the LIV Golf championship in Michigan in 2025.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15int-saudi-top-qfmg\/15int-saudi-top-qfmg-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Raj Mehta\/Getty Images\n\n### Editors’ Picks\n- [Why Is Everyone Wicked Obsessed With This Boston Globe Reporter?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/style\/emily-sweeney-boston-globe-reporter.html)\n  \n  ![Emily Sweeney, who has worked at The Boston Globe since 2001, has been relaying the latest headlines from behind a desk or on roller blades.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15ST-EMILY-BOSTONIAN-stills-01-hgmt\/15ST-EMILY-BOSTONIAN-stills-01-hgmt-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Boston Globe\n- [Drew Barrymore and Pete Davidson List Homes in Westchester County](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/realestate\/drew-barrymore-and-pete-davidson-list-homes-in-westchester-county.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/14\/15re-bigticket-peteanddrew-96844\/15re-bigticket-peteanddrew-96844-square640-v2.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Getty Images\n\n### Trending in The Times\n- [Analysis of Alzheimer’s Drugs Stirs Debate About Their Effectiveness](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/health\/alzheimers-drugs-benefit-anti-amyloid.html)\n  \n  ![A clinical trial participant receiving an infusion of an anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s drug in New York last year.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15hs-AlzheimersDrugs-01-hcfp\/15hs-AlzheimersDrugs-01-hcfp-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Heather Khalifa\/Associated Press\n- [Shakespeare Bought One Property in London. Now We Know Exactly Where.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/world\/europe\/shakespeare-london-property-house.html)\n  \n  ![William Shakespeare’s property was just across the river from the Globe Theater, left, which staged his plays then and does so today, having been recreated and reopened in 1997.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15int-uk-shakespeare-kmcl\/15int-uk-shakespeare-kmcl-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Jeremie Souteyrat for The New York Times\n- [At a House Republican’s New York Event, Flashes of an Iran Backlash](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/14\/us\/politics\/at-a-house-republicans-new-york-event-flashes-of-an-iran-backlash.html)\n  \n  ![Representative Mike Lawler listening onstage to an attendee at a town hall event last weekend.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/14\/multimedia\/14DC-LAWLER-top-jbzf\/14DC-LAWLER-top-jbzf-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Gregg Vigliotti for The New York Times\n- [Geneva Watch Week Seeks to Brighten Watchmaking’s Future](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/14\/fashion\/geneva-watches-wonders.html)\n  \n  ![The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hybris Inventiva Gyrotourbillon à Stratosphère.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/14\/multimedia\/14sp-watches-new-inyt-03-fgmp\/14sp-watches-new-inyt-03-fgmp-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n- [Super Typhoon Slams Northern Mariana Islands, Causing Widespread Damage](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/world\/asia\/typhoon-sinlaku-saipan-damage.html)\n  \n  @Travelees via YouTube, via Reuters\n- [At Cape Town’s Stunning Gardens, Change Is in Bloom](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/travel\/cape-town-south-africa-gardens.html)\n  \n  ![Works by the artist Anton Smit on view at Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens in Cape Town.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15trav-cape-town-gardens-02-vthq\/15trav-cape-town-gardens-02-vthq-square640-v2.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n- [BBC Announces Plan to Cut Around 2,000 Jobs](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/world\/europe\/bbc-job-cuts.html)\n  \n  ![The headquarters of the British Broadcasting Corporation in London.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15uk-bbc-ctlq\/15uk-bbc-ctlq-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Daniel Leal\/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images\n- [Hampshire College Will Close Amid Student Enrollment Declines](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/14\/us\/hampshire-college-closing-amherst-massachusetts-enrollment.html)\n  \n  ![Hampshire College’s campus in Amherst, Mass.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/14\/multimedia\/14nat-hampshire-wmkb\/14nat-hampshire-wmkb-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  David L. Ryan\/The Boston Globe, via Getty Images\n- [One Dead and 6 Injured in Shooting at Suburban Chick-fil-A](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/12\/nyregion\/new-jersey-chick-fil-a-shooting.html)\n  \n  ![The shooting took place around 8:45 p.m. on Saturday in a Chick-fil-A restaurant about a 10-minute drive from Newark.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/12\/multimedia\/12met-chick-fil-a-qpcz\/12met-chick-fil-a-qpcz-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Dakota Santiago for The New York Times\n- [Keiko gets a new team](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/podcasts\/keiko-gets-a-new-team.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/12\/05\/podcasts\/05serial-newsletter-whale-02\/05serial-newsletter-whale-02-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Fernando Ugarte\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP 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[Subscriptions](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=37WXW)","attrs_readable_markdown":"Advertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/11\/world\/middleeast\/iran-air-flight-655-history.html#after-top)\n\nThe United States accidentally downed an Iranian passenger jet in 1988, killing all 290 people aboard, amid a battle with Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf.\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/01\/11\/multimedia\/11xp-flight655-2\/11xp-flight655-2-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nMourners carried coffins through the streets of Tehran during a mass funeral for the victims aboard Iran Air Flight 655, which was shot down by the U.S.S. Vincennes in the Persian Gulf in 1988.Credit...Canadian Press, via Associated Press\n\nJan. 11, 2020\n\nThe timing of the jet crash near Tehran on Wednesday — coming just hours after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi military bases housing American troops — immediately led to suspicion that the plane had been downed by a missile.\n\nThose suspicions were confirmed on Saturday, when Iranian officials [accepted responsibility for the downing of the jet](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/10\/world\/middleeast\/missile-iran-plane-crash.html), a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ukraine International Airlines, saying it was an accident caused by human error. [The 176 victims](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/08\/world\/canada\/iran-plane-crash-victims.html) included many young Iranians, [as well as Canadians](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/10\/world\/canada\/iran-crash-victims-canada.html), Afghans and Europeans from several countries.\n\nMany observers couldn’t help thinking of a strikingly similar plane crash in Iranian territory amid hostilities, more than 30 years ago, in the waning days of the Iran-Iraq war.\n\nOn July 3, 1988, as American and Iranian forces battled in the Persian Gulf, the United States Navy accidentally [shot down an Iranian passenger jet, Iran Air Flight 655](https:\/\/timesmachine.nytimes.com\/timesmachine\/1988\/07\/04\/issue.html), which was bound for Dubai. Iranian outlets reported that 290 people were aboard the plane, including 66 children. There were no survivors.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/01\/10\/multimedia\/10xp-flight655-1\/10xp-flight655-1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nPresident Hassan Rouhani of Iran referred to that tragedy on Monday as he responded to a threat from President Trump to attack cultural sites.\n\nLast Saturday, Mr. Trump [said on Twitter](https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1213593975732527112) that his office had made a list of 52 Iranian sites — representing the 52 hostages taken by Iran in 1979 — that would be “HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD” in the event of an Iranian attack.\n\nIn response, Mr. Rouhani wrote, “Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290.”\n\n> Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. [\\#IR655](https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/IR655?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)  \n> Never threaten the Iranian nation.\n> \n> — Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) [January 6, 2020](https:\/\/twitter.com\/HassanRouhani\/status\/1214236608196685824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)\n\nIran Air Flight 655, which Mr. Rouhani invoked with the hashtag \\#IR655, had set out for Dubai from the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf. At the same time on that July morning, the Vincennes, an American missile cruiser, was engaged in combat with Iranian boats in the gulf.\n\nThe Navy said later that it mistook the passenger plane, an Airbus A300, for a hostile F-14 fighter jet. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. William J. Crowe Jr., said that the Iranian plane was flying at low altitude and failed to respond to warnings or transmit radar signals identifying it as a civilian plane. The plane was brought down with a surface-to-air missile.\n\nPresident Ronald Reagan issued a statement from Camp David, saying the United States regretted the loss of life but defending the judgment of the skipper, Capt. Will C. Rogers III. A subsequent [Defense Department investigation](https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20070316064937\/http:\/\/www.dod.mil\/pubs\/foi\/reading_room\/172.pdf) also supported his actions, though it noted he was given inaccurate information as the plane approached. The investigators also faulted Iran for allowing the plane to fly into an active conflict zone.\n\nIn a strange twist, the following March, Captain Rogers’s wife, Sharon Lee Rogers, was driving near a shopping center in San Diego when what was believed to be a pipe bomb [exploded in her car](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1989\/03\/11\/us\/blast-wrecks-van-of-skipper-who-downed-iran-jet.html). She escaped uninjured. Investigators initially believed it was an act of terrorism related to Captain Rogers’s role in the deaths, but later “all but ruled out” the possibility, [The Los Angeles Times reported](https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1991-03-07-mn-3265-story.html).\n\nCaptain Rogers was later awarded the Legion of Merit for his service in the Persian Gulf; an accompanying citation praised the captain’s [“dynamic leadership” and “logical judgment.”](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/archive\/politics\/1990\/04\/23\/2-vincennes-officers-get-medals\/cf383f02-05ce-435b-9086-5d61de569ed8\/)\n\nA December 1988 report by an international panel of aviation experts [faulted the Navy](https:\/\/timesmachine.nytimes.com\/timesmachine\/1988\/12\/04\/053088.html?pageNumber=3) for failing to put in place procedures to keep civilian aircraft away from combat zones. The United States later paid millions to settle [a lawsuit that Iran filed](https:\/\/www.icj-cij.org\/en\/case\/79) over the matter at the International Court of Justice.\n\n[Karen Zraick](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/karen-zraick) is a breaking news and general assignment reporter.\n\n## Related Content\n[More in Middle East](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/world\/middleeast)\n\n- ![President Trump greeting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy at the White House last year. They were once considered close allies.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15int-italy-meloni-01-jzbm\/15int-italy-meloni-01-jzbm-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times\n- ![A satellite image shows new damage at the taxiway leading to the tunnel entrances of the underground facility. April 8, 2026.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/11\/video\/11-sateagle44wide\/11-sateagle44wide-square640.png?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Airbus\n- ![The British author Roald Dahl in 1971.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/09\/multimedia\/09cul-giant-explainer-01-qzgm\/09cul-giant-explainer-01-qzgm-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Ronald Dumont\/Daily Express, via Hulton Archive, via Getty Images\n- ![Yasir al-Rumayyan, left, the head of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, presenting a trophy at the LIV Golf championship in Michigan in 2025.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15int-saudi-top-qfmg\/15int-saudi-top-qfmg-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Raj Mehta\/Getty Images\n\nEditors’ Picks\n\n- ![Emily Sweeney, who has worked at The Boston Globe since 2001, has been relaying the latest headlines from behind a desk or on roller blades.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15ST-EMILY-BOSTONIAN-stills-01-hgmt\/15ST-EMILY-BOSTONIAN-stills-01-hgmt-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Boston Globe\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/14\/15re-bigticket-peteanddrew-96844\/15re-bigticket-peteanddrew-96844-square640-v2.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Getty Images\n\nTrending in The Times\n\n- ![A clinical trial participant receiving an infusion of an anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s drug in New York last year.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15hs-AlzheimersDrugs-01-hcfp\/15hs-AlzheimersDrugs-01-hcfp-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Heather Khalifa\/Associated Press\n- ![William Shakespeare’s property was just across the river from the Globe Theater, left, which staged his plays then and does so today, having been recreated and reopened in 1997.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15int-uk-shakespeare-kmcl\/15int-uk-shakespeare-kmcl-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Jeremie Souteyrat for The New York Times\n- ![Representative Mike Lawler listening onstage to an attendee at a town hall event last weekend.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/14\/multimedia\/14DC-LAWLER-top-jbzf\/14DC-LAWLER-top-jbzf-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Gregg Vigliotti for The New York Times\n- ![The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hybris Inventiva Gyrotourbillon à Stratosphère.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/14\/multimedia\/14sp-watches-new-inyt-03-fgmp\/14sp-watches-new-inyt-03-fgmp-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n- @Travelees via YouTube, via Reuters\n- ![Works by the artist Anton Smit on view at Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens in Cape Town.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15trav-cape-town-gardens-02-vthq\/15trav-cape-town-gardens-02-vthq-square640-v2.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n- ![The headquarters of the British Broadcasting Corporation in London.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15\/multimedia\/15uk-bbc-ctlq\/15uk-bbc-ctlq-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Daniel Leal\/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images\n- ![Hampshire College’s campus in Amherst, Mass.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/04\/14\/multimedia\/14nat-hampshire-wmkb\/14nat-hampshire-wmkb-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  David L. 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Boilerpipe Text	Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT The United States accidentally downed an Iranian passenger jet in 1988, killing all 290 people aboard, amid a battle with Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf. Mourners carried coffins through the streets of Tehran during a mass funeral for the victims aboard Iran Air Flight 655, which was shot down by the U.S.S. Vincennes in the Persian Gulf in 1988. Credit... Canadian Press, via Associated Press Jan. 11, 2020 The timing of the jet crash near Tehran on Wednesday — coming just hours after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi military bases housing American troops — immediately led to suspicion that the plane had been downed by a missile. Those suspicions were confirmed on Saturday, when Iranian officials accepted responsibility for the downing of the jet , a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ukraine International Airlines, saying it was an accident caused by human error. The 176 victims included many young Iranians, as well as Canadians , Afghans and Europeans from several countries. Many observers couldn’t help thinking of a strikingly similar plane crash in Iranian territory amid hostilities, more than 30 years ago, in the waning days of the Iran-Iraq war. On July 3, 1988, as American and Iranian forces battled in the Persian Gulf, the United States Navy accidentally shot down an Iranian passenger jet, Iran Air Flight 655 , which was bound for Dubai. Iranian outlets reported that 290 people were aboard the plane, including 66 children. There were no survivors. Image President Hassan Rouhani of Iran referred to that tragedy on Monday as he responded to a threat from President Trump to attack cultural sites. Last Saturday, Mr. Trump said on Twitter that his office had made a list of 52 Iranian sites — representing the 52 hostages taken by Iran in 1979 — that would be “HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD” in the event of an Iranian attack. In response, Mr. Rouhani wrote, “Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290.” Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. #IR655 Never threaten the Iranian nation. — Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) January 6, 2020 Iran Air Flight 655, which Mr. Rouhani invoked with the hashtag #IR655, had set out for Dubai from the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf. At the same time on that July morning, the Vincennes, an American missile cruiser, was engaged in combat with Iranian boats in the gulf. The Navy said later that it mistook the passenger plane, an Airbus A300, for a hostile F-14 fighter jet. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. William J. Crowe Jr., said that the Iranian plane was flying at low altitude and failed to respond to warnings or transmit radar signals identifying it as a civilian plane. The plane was brought down with a surface-to-air missile. President Ronald Reagan issued a statement from Camp David, saying the United States regretted the loss of life but defending the judgment of the skipper, Capt. Will C. Rogers III. A subsequent Defense Department investigation also supported his actions, though it noted he was given inaccurate information as the plane approached. The investigators also faulted Iran for allowing the plane to fly into an active conflict zone. In a strange twist, the following March, Captain Rogers’s wife, Sharon Lee Rogers, was driving near a shopping center in San Diego when what was believed to be a pipe bomb exploded in her car . She escaped uninjured. Investigators initially believed it was an act of terrorism related to Captain Rogers’s role in the deaths, but later “all but ruled out” the possibility, The Los Angeles Times reported . Captain Rogers was later awarded the Legion of Merit for his service in the Persian Gulf; an accompanying citation praised the captain’s “dynamic leadership” and “logical judgment.” A December 1988 report by an international panel of aviation experts faulted the Navy for failing to put in place procedures to keep civilian aircraft away from combat zones. The United States later paid millions to settle a lawsuit that Iran filed over the matter at the International Court of Justice. Karen Zraick is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. Related Content More in Middle East Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Airbus Ronald Dumont/Daily Express, via Hulton Archive, via Getty Images Raj Mehta/Getty Images Editors’ Picks Boston Globe Getty Images Trending in The Times Heather Khalifa/Associated Press Jeremie Souteyrat for The New York Times Gregg Vigliotti for The New York Times @Travelees via YouTube, via Reuters Daniel Leal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe, via Getty Images Dakota Santiago for The New York Times Fernando Ugarte Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Markdown	[Skip to content](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/world/middleeast/iran-air-flight-655-history.html#site-content)[Skip to site index](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/world/middleeast/iran-air-flight-655-history.html#site-index) Search & Section Navigation Section Navigation Search [Middle East](https://www.nytimes.com/section/world/middleeast) [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsubscription%2Fonboarding-offer%3FcampaignId%3D7JFJX%26EXIT_URI%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2020%252F01%252F11%252Fworld%252Fmiddleeast%252Firan-air-flight-655-history.html&asset=masthead) Wednesday, April 15, 2026 [Today’s Paper](https://www.nytimes.com/section/todayspaper) [Middle East](https://www.nytimes.com/section/world/middleeast)\\|Jet Crash in Iran Has Eerie Historical Parallel https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/world/middleeast/iran-air-flight-655-history.html - Share full article Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/world/middleeast/iran-air-flight-655-history.html#after-top) Supported by [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/world/middleeast/iran-air-flight-655-history.html#after-sponsor) # Jet Crash in Iran Has Eerie Historical Parallel The United States accidentally downed an Iranian passenger jet in 1988, killing all 290 people aboard, amid a battle with Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf. - Share full article ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/01/11/multimedia/11xp-flight655-2/11xp-flight655-2-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Mourners carried coffins through the streets of Tehran during a mass funeral for the victims aboard Iran Air Flight 655, which was shot down by the U.S.S. Vincennes in the Persian Gulf in 1988.Credit...Canadian Press, via Associated Press [![Karen Zraick](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/02/13/multimedia/author-karen-zraick/author-karen-zraick-thumbLarge-v3.png)](https://www.nytimes.com/by/karen-zraick) By [Karen Zraick](https://www.nytimes.com/by/karen-zraick) Jan. 11, 2020 [See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?cs=0&hl=en&q=nytimes.com) The timing of the jet crash near Tehran on Wednesday — coming just hours after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi military bases housing American troops — immediately led to suspicion that the plane had been downed by a missile. Those suspicions were confirmed on Saturday, when Iranian officials [accepted responsibility for the downing of the jet](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/world/middleeast/missile-iran-plane-crash.html), a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ukraine International Airlines, saying it was an accident caused by human error. [The 176 victims](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/08/world/canada/iran-plane-crash-victims.html) included many young Iranians, [as well as Canadians](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/world/canada/iran-crash-victims-canada.html), Afghans and Europeans from several countries. Many observers couldn’t help thinking of a strikingly similar plane crash in Iranian territory amid hostilities, more than 30 years ago, in the waning days of the Iran-Iraq war. On July 3, 1988, as American and Iranian forces battled in the Persian Gulf, the United States Navy accidentally [shot down an Iranian passenger jet, Iran Air Flight 655](https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1988/07/04/issue.html), which was bound for Dubai. Iranian outlets reported that 290 people were aboard the plane, including 66 children. There were no survivors. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/01/10/multimedia/10xp-flight655-1/10xp-flight655-1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) President Hassan Rouhani of Iran referred to that tragedy on Monday as he responded to a threat from President Trump to attack cultural sites. Last Saturday, Mr. Trump [said on Twitter](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1213593975732527112) that his office had made a list of 52 Iranian sites — representing the 52 hostages taken by Iran in 1979 — that would be “HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD” in the event of an Iranian attack. In response, Mr. Rouhani wrote, “Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290.” > Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. [\#IR655](https://twitter.com/hashtag/IR655?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > Never threaten the Iranian nation. > > — Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) [January 6, 2020](https://twitter.com/HassanRouhani/status/1214236608196685824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Iran Air Flight 655, which Mr. Rouhani invoked with the hashtag \#IR655, had set out for Dubai from the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf. At the same time on that July morning, the Vincennes, an American missile cruiser, was engaged in combat with Iranian boats in the gulf. The Navy said later that it mistook the passenger plane, an Airbus A300, for a hostile F-14 fighter jet. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. William J. Crowe Jr., said that the Iranian plane was flying at low altitude and failed to respond to warnings or transmit radar signals identifying it as a civilian plane. The plane was brought down with a surface-to-air missile. President Ronald Reagan issued a statement from Camp David, saying the United States regretted the loss of life but defending the judgment of the skipper, Capt. Will C. Rogers III. A subsequent [Defense Department investigation](https://web.archive.org/web/20070316064937/http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/reading_room/172.pdf) also supported his actions, though it noted he was given inaccurate information as the plane approached. The investigators also faulted Iran for allowing the plane to fly into an active conflict zone. In a strange twist, the following March, Captain Rogers’s wife, Sharon Lee Rogers, was driving near a shopping center in San Diego when what was believed to be a pipe bomb [exploded in her car](https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/11/us/blast-wrecks-van-of-skipper-who-downed-iran-jet.html). She escaped uninjured. Investigators initially believed it was an act of terrorism related to Captain Rogers’s role in the deaths, but later “all but ruled out” the possibility, [The Los Angeles Times reported](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-03-07-mn-3265-story.html). Captain Rogers was later awarded the Legion of Merit for his service in the Persian Gulf; an accompanying citation praised the captain’s [“dynamic leadership” and “logical judgment.”](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/04/23/2-vincennes-officers-get-medals/cf383f02-05ce-435b-9086-5d61de569ed8/) ## Editors’ Picks [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/15/fashion/15-the-good-list-nl-Lede/15-the-good-list-nl-Lede-thumbLarge.jpg)The Good List: 7 Things to Add Some Delight to Your Day](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/briefing/15-the-good-list-brady-house-trains.html) [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/26/books/review/26TBR-Prose-FBHoriz/26TBR-Prose-FBHoriz-thumbLarge.jpg)Bob Dylan and the Beatles: When the Fab Four Became the Fab Five](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/books/review/where-the-music-had-to-go-jim-windolf.html) [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/12/multimedia/00biz-corneroffice-peloton-vgzp/00biz-corneroffice-peloton-vgzp-thumbLarge.jpg)Peloton’s Latest Leader Thinks He Can Coach It Back to Health](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/business/peloton-peter-stern.html) Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/world/middleeast/iran-air-flight-655-history.html#after-pp_edpick) A December 1988 report by an international panel of aviation experts [faulted the Navy](https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1988/12/04/053088.html?pageNumber=3) for failing to put in place procedures to keep civilian aircraft away from combat zones. The United States later paid millions to settle [a lawsuit that Iran filed](https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/79) over the matter at the International Court of Justice. Commercial Flights Caught in the Crossfire [![]()In Plane Crash, a Day of Blame: Ukraine Weighs In and Iran Mulls Announcement Jan. 10, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/world/middleeast/iran-ukraine-plane-crash.html) [![]()Iran Plane Crash Victims Came From at Least Seven Countries Jan. 8, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/08/world/canada/iran-plane-crash-victims.html) [![]()Civilian Planes Shot Down: A Grim History Jan. 9, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/09/world/middleeast/civilian-planes-shot-down.html) [Karen Zraick](https://www.nytimes.com/by/karen-zraick) is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. See more on: [Hassan Rouhani](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/hassan-rouhani), [U.S. Navy](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/organization/us-navy) - Share full article * ## Around the World With The Times ### Our reporters across the globe take you into the field. * - South Korea’s Medical Crisis: Hundreds of patients every year have trouble finding emergency care, even though the country has a world-class medical system. [For some, the delays have been fatal](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/world/asia/south-korea-emergency-room-medical-crisis.html). - Is Norway the Solution to Europe’s Energy Needs?: The war in Iran has once again exposed Europe’s energy vulnerability. [A friendly source at home](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/world/europe/norway-oil-europe-war.html) would seem to be ideal. But it’s not that easy. - Picking Up Prisoners Set Free: Sugey Amaya’s brother was detained in El Salvador’s mass arrest campaign four years ago. [She has devoted her life to helping prisoners like him](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/world/americas/sugey-amaya-el-salvador-prisoners.html). - The Global Profile: Oleksiy Klochkovsky has [driven mail and parcels around the front line in Ukraine](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-kharkiv-nova-poshta.html) for four years. He keeps one ear tuned for danger from above. ## Related Content ### [More in Middle East](https://www.nytimes.com/section/world/middleeast) - [Trump and Meloni Split Amid Growing Dispute Over Pope and Iran](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/world/europe/trump-meloni-italy-iran-pope.html) ![President Trump greeting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy at the White House last year. They were once considered close allies.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/15/multimedia/15int-italy-meloni-01-jzbm/15int-italy-meloni-01-jzbm-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times - [Iran’s Underground Air Force Base Was Hit Earlier in the War](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/world/middleeast/iran-underground-air-force-base.html) ![A satellite image shows new damage at the taxiway leading to the tunnel entrances of the underground facility. April 8, 2026.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/11/video/11-sateagle44wide/11-sateagle44wide-square640.png?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Airbus - [‘Giant’ and Roald Dahl’s Antisemitism: What’s Fact and Fiction?](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/theater/roald-dahl-controversies-giant.html) ![The British author Roald Dahl in 1971.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/09/multimedia/09cul-giant-explainer-01-qzgm/09cul-giant-explainer-01-qzgm-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Ronald Dumont/Daily Express, via Hulton Archive, via Getty Images - [Saudi Fund to Back Away From LIV Golf Under Mounting Financial Pressures](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/world/middleeast/saudi-soverign-fund-liv-golf.html) ![Yasir al-Rumayyan, left, the head of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, presenting a trophy at the LIV Golf championship in Michigan in 2025.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/15/multimedia/15int-saudi-top-qfmg/15int-saudi-top-qfmg-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Raj Mehta/Getty Images ### Editors’ Picks - [Why Is Everyone Wicked Obsessed With This Boston Globe Reporter?](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/style/emily-sweeney-boston-globe-reporter.html) ![Emily Sweeney, who has worked at The Boston Globe since 2001, has been relaying the latest headlines from behind a desk or on roller blades.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/15/multimedia/15ST-EMILY-BOSTONIAN-stills-01-hgmt/15ST-EMILY-BOSTONIAN-stills-01-hgmt-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Boston Globe - [Drew Barrymore and Pete Davidson List Homes in Westchester County](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/realestate/drew-barrymore-and-pete-davidson-list-homes-in-westchester-county.html) ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/14/15re-bigticket-peteanddrew-96844/15re-bigticket-peteanddrew-96844-square640-v2.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Getty Images ### Trending in The Times - [Analysis of Alzheimer’s Drugs Stirs Debate About Their Effectiveness](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/health/alzheimers-drugs-benefit-anti-amyloid.html) ![A clinical trial participant receiving an infusion of an anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s drug in New York last year.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/15/multimedia/15hs-AlzheimersDrugs-01-hcfp/15hs-AlzheimersDrugs-01-hcfp-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350) Heather Khalifa/Associated Press - [Shakespeare Bought One Property in London. 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Readable Markdown	Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/world/middleeast/iran-air-flight-655-history.html#after-top) The United States accidentally downed an Iranian passenger jet in 1988, killing all 290 people aboard, amid a battle with Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf. ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/01/11/multimedia/11xp-flight655-2/11xp-flight655-2-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Mourners carried coffins through the streets of Tehran during a mass funeral for the victims aboard Iran Air Flight 655, which was shot down by the U.S.S. Vincennes in the Persian Gulf in 1988.Credit...Canadian Press, via Associated Press Jan. 11, 2020 The timing of the jet crash near Tehran on Wednesday — coming just hours after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi military bases housing American troops — immediately led to suspicion that the plane had been downed by a missile. Those suspicions were confirmed on Saturday, when Iranian officials [accepted responsibility for the downing of the jet](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/world/middleeast/missile-iran-plane-crash.html), a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ukraine International Airlines, saying it was an accident caused by human error. [The 176 victims](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/08/world/canada/iran-plane-crash-victims.html) included many young Iranians, [as well as Canadians](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/world/canada/iran-crash-victims-canada.html), Afghans and Europeans from several countries. Many observers couldn’t help thinking of a strikingly similar plane crash in Iranian territory amid hostilities, more than 30 years ago, in the waning days of the Iran-Iraq war. On July 3, 1988, as American and Iranian forces battled in the Persian Gulf, the United States Navy accidentally [shot down an Iranian passenger jet, Iran Air Flight 655](https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1988/07/04/issue.html), which was bound for Dubai. Iranian outlets reported that 290 people were aboard the plane, including 66 children. There were no survivors. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/01/10/multimedia/10xp-flight655-1/10xp-flight655-1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) President Hassan Rouhani of Iran referred to that tragedy on Monday as he responded to a threat from President Trump to attack cultural sites. Last Saturday, Mr. Trump [said on Twitter](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1213593975732527112) that his office had made a list of 52 Iranian sites — representing the 52 hostages taken by Iran in 1979 — that would be “HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD” in the event of an Iranian attack. In response, Mr. Rouhani wrote, “Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290.” > Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. [\#IR655](https://twitter.com/hashtag/IR655?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > Never threaten the Iranian nation. > > — Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) [January 6, 2020](https://twitter.com/HassanRouhani/status/1214236608196685824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Iran Air Flight 655, which Mr. Rouhani invoked with the hashtag \#IR655, had set out for Dubai from the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf. At the same time on that July morning, the Vincennes, an American missile cruiser, was engaged in combat with Iranian boats in the gulf. The Navy said later that it mistook the passenger plane, an Airbus A300, for a hostile F-14 fighter jet. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. William J. Crowe Jr., said that the Iranian plane was flying at low altitude and failed to respond to warnings or transmit radar signals identifying it as a civilian plane. The plane was brought down with a surface-to-air missile. President Ronald Reagan issued a statement from Camp David, saying the United States regretted the loss of life but defending the judgment of the skipper, Capt. Will C. Rogers III. A subsequent [Defense Department investigation](https://web.archive.org/web/20070316064937/http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/reading_room/172.pdf) also supported his actions, though it noted he was given inaccurate information as the plane approached. The investigators also faulted Iran for allowing the plane to fly into an active conflict zone. In a strange twist, the following March, Captain Rogers’s wife, Sharon Lee Rogers, was driving near a shopping center in San Diego when what was believed to be a pipe bomb [exploded in her car](https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/11/us/blast-wrecks-van-of-skipper-who-downed-iran-jet.html). She escaped uninjured. Investigators initially believed it was an act of terrorism related to Captain Rogers’s role in the deaths, but later “all but ruled out” the possibility, [The Los Angeles Times reported](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-03-07-mn-3265-story.html). Captain Rogers was later awarded the Legion of Merit for his service in the Persian Gulf; an accompanying citation praised the captain’s [“dynamic leadership” and “logical judgment.”](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/04/23/2-vincennes-officers-get-medals/cf383f02-05ce-435b-9086-5d61de569ed8/) A December 1988 report by an international panel of aviation experts [faulted the Navy](https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1988/12/04/053088.html?pageNumber=3) for failing to put in place procedures to keep civilian aircraft away from combat zones. The United States later paid millions to settle [a lawsuit that Iran filed](https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/79) over the matter at the International Court of Justice. [Karen Zraick](https://www.nytimes.com/by/karen-zraick) is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. ## Related Content [More in Middle East](https://www.nytimes.com/section/world/middleeast) - ![President Trump greeting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy at the White House last year. They were once considered close allies.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/15/multimedia/15int-italy-meloni-01-jzbm/15int-italy-meloni-01-jzbm-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times - ![A satellite image shows new damage at the taxiway leading to the tunnel entrances of the underground facility. 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