Iran on Thursday marked the 37th anniversary of the downing of Iran Air Flight 655, renewing demands that the United States accept responsibility for the 1988 tragedy in which a U.S. Navy cruiser shot down a civilian Airbus A300 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people on board, among them 66 children. Transport Minister Farzaneh Sadegh called the incident a “blatant example of state terrorism” and said Washington has yet to apologise or compensate the victims’ families. She added that the awarding of the Legion of Merit to USS Vincennes captain William C. Rogers underscored the lack of accountability. Tehran maintains the shoot-down, which occurred during the Iran-Iraq war, was unprovoked and continues to press international bodies for a formal U.S. admission of wrongdoing.