State television described the missile strike as an accident during a training exercise, saying the Konarak had remained too close to the target. The Konarak had been putting targets out in the water for other ships to fire upon, it said.
The UK's marginally increased naval pressure on Iran is not likely to make waves in the Gulf, but it does serve as a good example of a shifting tide in global influence.
Amid ongoing tensions with the US, Moscow and Tehran are embarking on naval cooperation in the Caspian Sea, where huge oil and gas resources reside.
Tehran sees the presence of US aircraft carriers in the Gulf as a security concern and its navy has sought to counter that by showing the flag near American waters.
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