A civilian airliner, Iran Air Flight 655, met a tragic end on July 3, 1988. The U.S. Navy cruiser USS Vincennes mistakenly shot down the Airbus A300 over the Strait of Hormuz. All 290 people aboard perished. The incident occurred during heightened tensions of the Iran-Iraq War. The U.S. called it an error, while Iran condemned it as an attack.