WI: USS Stark hit by an Iranian jet?

Suppose that an attack on the USS Stark (or any other warship, for that matter), occurs similar to OTL, causing loss of life, injury, and heavy damage, but instead of an Iraqi mistake, the perpetrator was Iranian? What happens next? How badly does the US retaliate?
 
Unlikely. Iranains took great care to make sure they were targeting legitimate targets. Iraqis just fired missiles willy-nilly before running back to avoid IRIAF.

But if it does happen it will likely go down similar to this
 
I imagine it depends on how the Iranians react. If they apologize enough and step back the commerce raiding which was why USN forces were in the Gulf in the first place we might have something akin to OTL with it being let go as an unfortunate accident. If they react belligerently then I'll throw in another vote for an earlier version of Praying Mantis.
 
Considering that the US shot down a civilian airliner the next year, and has apparently refused to appologize....

27 navy sailors dead in a war zone, while major is far less significant than 290 civilians dead. IMO
 
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