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On July 3, 1988, a US Navy ship shot down an Iranian passenger plane in the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people on board. Among the dead were citizens of Iran, the United Arab Emirates, India, Pakistan, Yugoslavia and Italy, including 66 children.
The downing of Flight 655 by the USS Vincennes with two surface-to-air missiles has been mostly forgotten in the United States. However, partly due to its timing, it has played a major role in shaping Iranian officials' view of US policy toward Iran.
