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.

On his English-language Twitter account, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shared pictures and messages commemorating the anniversary of Flight 655. “If the commander of the warship made a mistake, why did you not bring him to trial? Why did you give him a medal of honor?” one tweet read. The ship's crew were awarded medals for their service. Another tweet contained the hashtags #NeverForget and #NeverForgive.

Mehr News Agency used the occasion of the anniversary to interview producer Ghassem Golipour about a film he is working on about the downing of the flight. “I believe this film script has the power that, once it’s made, it can turn the American people against their officials,” Golipour said. He continued, “Making this film on the international stage not only will study and criticize US policy, but question the years of silence of international institutions who claim to support human rights.”