Tehran: Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, has marked the anniversary of the US Navy's attack on an Iranian passenger plane in 1988, stating the crime will never be erased from the nation's memory.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, in a post on X on Friday, Gharibabadi said July 3 recalls a tragedy in which the United States took the lives of 290 innocent people, including 66 children, emphasizing that the incident remains unforgettable for Iranians. He noted that a second crime followed the downing of the aircraft: Washington's denial of responsibility, its refusal to issue an official apology, and its awarding of a medal to the commander of the warship involved.

Gharibabadi also mentioned that, alongside commemorating the victims of Iran Air Flight 655, Iranians honor the memory of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, whose assassination symbolizes both the depth of US hostility toward Iran and the enduring resistance of the Iranian people.

Iran Air Flight 655 was en route from Bandar Abbas to Dubai on July 3, 1988, when it was struck by two missiles fired from the USS Vincennes over the Persian Gulf. All 290 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft, including 66 children and 53 women, were killed in the attack.