Condemning the US for sinking an Iranian naval vessel, IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi declared that the United States had committed “an atrocity at sea,” and warned that Washington would “bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”
Araghchi noted that the frigate was “a guest of India’s Navy” after participating in Milan 2026 and the International Fleet Review.
Araghchi wrote on X, “The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores.
Frigate Dena, carrying nearly 130 sailors and serving as a guest of India’s Navy, was struck in international waters without warning. Mark my words: the US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”
A US submarine fired a torpedo that sank the IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s southern coast as the Trump administration has intensified its attacks against Iran’s military and political leadership. At least 87 sailors were killed in the attack.
The frigate was sailing in international waters after completing a naval exercise organized by India in the Bay of Bengal. The strike has sparked debate among former US officials about whether targeting an Iranian warship in international waters constitutes a violation of international law.
The incident coincided with ongoing US-Israeli air strikes on Iran, now entering their fifth day, with officials warning of attacks on targets deeper inside Iran.
Simultaneously, US forces targeted pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) pledged to continue missile and drone operations across West Asia.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that the US sank the IRIS Dena near the Sri Lankan coast.
The Pentagon released footage showing a Mark 48 heavyweight torpedo hitting the frigate, sending a massive amount of water into the air.
