New Delhi: Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi condemned the attack on the frigate, IRIS Dena, which had left Visakhapatnam port just a week ago.
The IRIS Dena came to India to participate in the Navy-organised MILAN multilateral exercise. An American submarine torpedoed and sank the frigate in international waters early on 4 March.
Araghchi wrote through his official handle on X: “The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores. Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning.”
While condemning the incident, Araghchi warned, “Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”
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— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) March 4, 2026
Earlier, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that a US submarine sank IRIS Dena with a Mark 48 torpedo, calling it a “quiet death”. He also said it was “the first sinking of the enemy ship by a torpedo since the Second World War”.
Islamic Republic of Iran Ship (IRIS) Dena, a Moudge-class frigate that was part of the southern fleet of the Iranian navy, was sunk nearly 40 km or 25 miles off the coast of Galle, Sri Lanka. The attack on the vessel, which was moving onward after participating in the Indian Navy’s exercise, killed over 80 sailors.
The Sri Lankan authorities—which conducted the rescue efforts—have confirmed that the navy and air force have so far saved 32 critically wounded sailors, while recovering at least 87 bodies.
After the incident, New Delhi officially rejected the claims of former US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor, who, in an interview with One America News Network (OAN), said that in the wake of Iran’s attacks on American naval installations, “we actually have to fall back on India and Indian ports”.
The Ministry of External Affairs fact-checking account, through its official X handle, dismissed the claims, saying, “Claims being made on OAN, a US-based channel that Indian ports are being used by the US Navy are fake and false. We caution you against such baseless and fabricated comments.”
The sinking of IRIS Dena has drawn sharp criticism from all across India. Former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash, through his official X account, criticised the incident, describing it as “senseless, inflammatory, and condemnable”.
Former Indian foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal called the attack premeditated, writing on X, “The attack by the US submarine was premeditated as the US was aware of the Iranian ship’s presence in the exercise to which the US navy was invited but withdrew from participation at the last minute, presumably with this operation in mind.”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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