Tehran, Mar 11: Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday paid tribute to the sailors of IRIS Dena who were killed after the frigate was torpedoed and sunk by a US submarine about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Galle, Sri Lanka.
Baqaei described the US action as a “war crime” and a violation of international law, stressing that the Iranian people would neither forget nor forgive it.
In a post on X, Baqaei said, “We honour the fallen sailors of the #Dena frigate, martyred on 4 March far from their homeland. The Dena had been officially invited by the Indian Navy for a joint naval exercise and port visit. In a brutal act amounting to a war crime, the United States attacked the vessel near the coasts of India and Sri Lanka and sank it.”
He added, “Worse still, the US deliberately obstructed rescue operations for the sailors. This act not only constitutes aggression under UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 (Definition of Aggression), but also a grave violation of the laws of war, including Geneva Convention II (1949) and Additional Protocol I (1977). The Iranian people will neither forget nor forgive this heinous crime.”
The IRIS Dena sank south of Sri Lanka on March 4 after being struck by a US submarine torpedo about 20 nautical miles west of Galle. Following the incident, the Indian Navy deployed vessels including INS Tarangini and INS Ikshak, along with maritime patrol aircraft such as the P-8I, to assist Sri Lanka-led search and rescue operations.
Of the estimated 180 crew members on board, around 87 sailors were reported dead, while approximately 32 survivors were rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy and admitted to hospitals in Galle.
Earlier, in an interview with ANI, Iran’s Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali said the Islamic Republic is closely monitoring the situation and continuing efforts to assess the circumstances and ensure the well-being of the crew members.
“Following the tragic incident involving the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, the Islamic Republic of Iran is continuing to follow up on the crew members’ situation and examine all aspects of this incident,” he said.
The developments come amid escalating security tensions in West Asia, with Iranian retaliatory strikes using missiles and drones targeting US military bases, embassies, and civilian/energy infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan. (Agency)
