Sunday,4 July 2021 (YJC) _Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif lashed out at the US for its refusal to apologize for shooting down an Iranian passenger plane that killed 290 civilians over the Persian Gulf 33 years ago.
33 years ago today, US shot down Iran Air 655, killing all 290 civilians aboard,” Zarif said in a post on his Twitter account on Saturday.
“As a young diplomat, I witnessed US refusal to apologize over the human tragedy it caused,” he deplored.
“US violence against Iranians began long before and continues today with Economic Terrorism against our people,” Zarif added.
On July 3, 1988, the USS Vincennes warship fired two missiles at an Iran Air Airbus A300B2, which was flying over the Strait of Hormuz from the port city of Bandar Abbas to Dubai, carrying 274 passengers and 16 crew members.
Following the attack, the plane disintegrated and crashed into the Persian Gulf waters, killing all the 290 on board, among them 66 children.
American officials claimed that their warship had mistaken the civilian aircraft for a warplane.