What was supposed to be an ordinary military drill, turned into a massive disaster as an Iranian destroyer misfired, and accidentally hit another destroyer, killing dozens of Iranian sailors in the process. The military drill was conducted amidst increasing tensions between Iran and the US.

In a report from the Jerusalem Post, a dozen of Iran’s navy sailorS were killed on-board after they were accidentally shot by another destroyer. The Post wrote: “During a military drill, a C-802 missile was fired toward another Iranian Navy destroyer, striking it and causing extensive damage.” The missile missed its intended target, which was located in the waters near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Based on the reports from the country’s officials, 19 sailors were killed, and 15 others were wounded.

The grave accident happened a few days after Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused Trump’s administration of continued “lawless bullying.” The Foreign Minister chose to voice out his accusation on the second anniversary of Trump’s announcement to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement, which took place during the Obama administration.

Moreover, the Iranian media outlet, Tasnim News Agency, claimed that Iran’s ambassador to the US, Majid Takht Ravanchi, said that the United States has “endangered multilateralism” on other countries, through its “its contemptuous treatment of international organizations and international law.”

In a virtual meeting by the UN Security Council, Ravanchi claimed that the US’s “inhumane sanctions” against other countries had undermined the organization’s credibility. The ambassador explained that while the United Nations was formed as a way to help countries resolve international problems, the US had shown contempt of such international policies, to which the administration had become increasingly addicted.

On the contrary, Trump explained his withdrawal from Obama’s nuclear agreement, saying that the deal had been “one-sided.” In fact, Trump believed that former President Barack Obama was simply handing in billions of dollars to the Islamic Republic, while the country got nothing in return.

Trump added that the deal did not bring the calm and peace that the country aspired for and that it probably “never will.” What’s even more alarming is that the US might have just been sponsoring terrorism and violence, as the Iranian military budget expanded to a whopping 40% during the Obama administration. The president also suggested that a better, constructive agreement could have taken place, but somehow it didn’t.

In addition, just last month, 11 Iranian guard boats surrounded a US destroyer despite repeated warning signals. In a statement from the US Navy, the Iranian vessels tried to provoke the Navy, by making continuous “dangerous” and “harassing” approaches. At that time, the Navy was conducting a joint integration operation with the US Army, in the waters of the north Arabian Gulf.

While the navy crew had already issued repeated warnings through bridge-to-bridge radio, as well as five short blasts from the ships’ horns and long-range acoustic noise maker devices, the crew did not receive a response from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN). Then, an hour later, the IRGCN vessels responded and opened a distance between the Iranian sailors and the US navy.