Yes, President Reagan destroyed about half of Iran's Navy after a US ship was damaged
By Tom Kertscher on Wednesday, January 15th, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.
Ronald Reagan. (AP)
A week after a U.S. drone attack killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a boastful historical claim about another U.S. military action against Iran appeared on Facebook.
The post shows a photograph of President Ronald Reagan with the following words across it:
"IN 1988 IRAN NEARLY SANK THE USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS. IN RESPONSE REAGAN DESTROYED HALF OF IRAN’S NAVY."
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
The post is a reference to Operating Praying Mantis in 1988, and it appears to be accurate.
Here’s how the U.S. Navy describes the operation:
"On 18 April 1988, the U.S. Navy launched Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian targets in the Arabian Gulf in retaliation for USS Samuel B. Roberts mining four days earlier, which blew an immense hole in the ship’s hull," nearly sinking the ship.
"Ten Sailors from Samuel B. Roberts sustained severe injuries. Four were seriously burned. Commander Paul X. Rinn was hurt as well. ...
"It was the first, and so far only, time the U.S. Navy has exchanged surface-to-surface missile fire with an enemy, and it resulted in the largest warship sunk by the U.S. Navy since WWII."
The operation sank or crippled six armed Iranian vessels, the New York Times reported, and was done, according to the Reagan administration, in retaliation for the mining that damaged the Samuel B. Roberts four days earlier.
Half of Iran’s operational fleet was sunk or severely damaged, according to the U.S. Navy’s description.
https://www.politifact.com/facebook-fact-checks/statements/2020/jan/15/facebook-posts/yes-president-reagan-destroyed-about-half-irans-na/?fbclid=IwAR33t6O7Xb4tANYlQo2LGf5x-BsCypkaFCpuBaUyV3FO1ABsgBRcBuh8OtY
