US offers condolences over deadly Iran incident

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military offered condolences Thursday to Iran over a friendly fire incident that saw an Iranian missile kill 19 Iranian troops, identifying the weapon that detonated as an anti-ship cruise missile.

Iranian authorities on

Monday said the missile struck the Iranian navy vessel Konarak on Sunday near the port of Jask, about 790 miles southeast of Tehran in the Gulf of Oman. Fifteen Iranian troops were wounded.

In a statement, Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, said the force offered “our sincere condolences to the Iranian people for the tragic loss of life.”

However, Urban also criticized the training for taking place so close to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil passes.