Iran marks anniversary of US missile attack on Iran Air Flight ۶۵۵
Iran is marking the ۳۷th anniversary of the downing of its commercial airliner by a United States Navy guided-missile cruiser back in ۱۹۸۸ as the aircraft was flying in Iranian airspace, and over Iran’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.
On July ۳, ۱۹۸۸, the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight ۶۵۵, which was carrying ۲۹۰ passengers and crew members, including ۴۶ non-Iranian passengers and ۶۶ minors under the age of ۱۳.
Not only the United States failed to apologize to Iran, but it also awarded the USS Vincennes’ commander a medal.
The plane, an Airbus A۳۰۰B۲ of Iran’s flag carrier, Iran Air, had just taken off from the southern Iranian coastal city of Bandar Abbas at ۱۰:۱۷ a.m. local time (UTC ۰۳۳۰) with ۲۷۴ passengers and ۱۶ crew members on board, and was climbing inside an internationally recognized route to Dubai when the US cruiser, the USS Vincennes, fired two SM-۲MR surface-to-air missiles at it, one of which hit the plane.
US officials claimed their warship had mistaken the airliner for a supersonic and variable-sweep wing Grumman F-۱۴ Tomcat fighter jet.
The allegation was made even as the warship was equipped with highly sophisticated radar systems and electronic battle gear, and the passenger plane was transmitting Mode III ۶۷۶۰ squawk code, typical of a civilian aircraft, and maintained radio contact in English with appropriate air traffic control facilities.
This file photo shows pieces of wreckage from the Iran Air Airbus A۳۰۰B۲ passenger plane shot down by the US Navy guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes over the Persian Gulf, July ۳, ۱۹۸۸.
The USS Vincennes had entered Iranian territorial waters after one of its helicopters drew warning fire from Iranian speedboats operating within Iranian territorial limits.
Washington later paid some ۹۵ million dollars in compensation for the Iranian victims and the aircraft.
The money, however, failed to placate the anti-US sentiments in Iran, where people expected the USS Vincennes’ captain, William Rogers, to be held responsible for his criminal act.
Rogers was instead awarded the prestigious medal of Legion of Merit for his so-called outstanding service.
Every year, Iranians throw stalks of flowers in the Persian Gulf to mark the anniversary and pay tribute to the victims of the terrible human tragedy, which retains the record for highest death toll of any aviation incident in the body of water.
مشاهده خبر در جماران