The largest warship in the Iranian Navy caught fire and sunk early Wednesday morning in the Gulf of Oman. The circumstances are unclear.
The fire began around 2:25a.m. on the 207-meter (679-foot) Kharg, which was used to resupply other ships in the fleet at sea and conduct training exercises. State media reported 400 troops on board fled the vessel, with some 20 suffering injuries.
The ship sank near the Iranian port of Jask, approximately 800 miles southeast of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian officials offered no cause for the fire aboard the Kharg.
The incident comes after a series of mysterious explosions targeting ships in the region.
Israel and Iran have blamed each other for reported attacks on cargo ships since late February, escalating a yearslong shadow war in Mideast waters between the two countries.
