116: Flight 655

Episode 116: On July 3, 1988, the USS Vincennes, an American cruiser, sailed into Iranian waters and launched a surface to air missile at Iran Air Flight 655, which it supposedly mistook for a fighter jet. Out of the 290 on board non survived. What were the events that led up to July 3rd, and how did the American government respond? Twitter: Link Patreon: Link Shirts and more: Link Sources and Further Reading George HW Bush and Ali Akbar Velayati address the United Nations: Link The 8th Minute: The 'Forgotten' US Shootdown of Iranian Airliner Flight 655: Link July 4, 1988 CBS News - Downing of Iran Air Flight 655 & Reagan & Ayatollah's Responses: Link REAGAN APOLOGIZED TO IRAN FOR DOWNING OF JETLINER: Link Iran Air Flight 655 and Beyond: Free Passage, Mistaken Self-Defense, and State Responsibility (Paywall): Link The Downing of Iran Air Flight 655: Highlighting the Need for International Adjudication of Damages (Paywall): Link Storm Center: The U.S.S. Vincennes and Iran Air Flight 655: Link Iran remembers 290 passengers of Iran Air flight 655: Link