‘Unforgivable crime’: On 37th anniversary, Iran vows to never forget deliberate US downing of Flight 655

Iran's Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the United States for its "unforgivable crime" of shooting down a passenger plane over the Persian Gulf, as the nation marks the anniversary of the 1988 downing of Iran Air Flight 655.

On the morning of July 3, 1988, the US warship USS Vincennes fired two missiles at Iran Air Flight 655 at 10:24 a.m. local time, brutally striking the civilian Airbus over the Persian Gulf in one of the most heinous acts of aggression against the Iranian nation.

Spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, highlighted the anniversary by posting a message on X on Friday, describing the attack as “one of the most heinous crimes committed by the United States against the Iranian nation.”

Baghaei stated that on July 3, 1988, Iran Air Flight 655, en route from Tehran to Dubai with 290 innocent civilians on board, was deliberately targeted and destroyed by missiles from the USS Vincennes.

All 290 passengers and crew perished, including 254 Iranians, 13 Emiratis, 10 Indians, six Pakistanis, six Yugoslavs, and one Italian.

"66 innocent children" were among those martyred in this barbaric attack, the spokesman emphasized.

In a bitter irony that exposes the US’s utter disregard for human life, the commander of the Vincennes was later rewarded by the American government with the Legion of Merit for his "exceptionally meritorious conduct" in committing this crime.

Iran, however, continues to honor the memory of the victims and will never forget this unforgivable crime perpetrated by the US administration of the time.

On Friday, a solemn commemoration ceremony was held in southern Iran to remember the martyrdom of the passengers of Flight 655 in the waters of the Persian Gulf.

The event took place near Bandar Abbas and Qeshm, with the participation of local officials, families of the martyrs, military personnel, and people from all walks of life.

Attendees paid tribute to the 290 martyrs by laying flowers and reciting the Fatiha. They also chanted powerful slogans condemning the criminal action of the American warship Vincennes and stressed the importance of keeping the memory of these innocent victims alive.

Iran envoy: World will not be allowed to forget Minab school massacre

Iran

The downing of Iran Air Flight 655 remains one of the darkest and most painful chapters in Iran’s collective memory regarding crimes against civil aviation.

US-Israeli crimes against Iran continue unabated. On February 28, the first day of the unprovoked US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic, the enemy targeted Minab’s Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in southern Iran, killing 168 civilians, many of them young girls and boys aged seven to twelve, along with 26 female teachers.

On the same day, a US Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) barbarically struck a sports hall in the southern city of Lamerd, slaughtering civilians including teenage volleyball players, women, men, and even a two-year-old girl.

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