The Iranian military said on the 8th that the US Navy launched an attack on the Iranian navy frigate “Dena,” which was on a training mission, on the 4th, resulting in 104 Iranian officers killed and 32 wounded.
According to comprehensive reports from Iranian state media and foreign sources, on the 4th, the Iranian navy frigate “Dena” was sunk by a US military submarine with a torpedo in waters south of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan authorities stated that the Sri Lankan navy immediately dispatched vessels for rescue operations after receiving a distress signal, and 32 wounded were transferred to a hospital in Galle. Additionally, the Sri Lankan navy recovered 87 bodies from nearby waters.
It is reported that at the time of the incident, the “Dena” frigate had just completed an international naval exercise organized by India and was on its return journey, with a total of 136 people onboard.
On the 6th, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi held phone calls with the foreign ministers of India and Sri Lanka, strongly condemning the US action of attacking the “Dena” frigate in international waters 2,000 miles (about 3,200 kilometers) from the Iranian coast without any warning, and emphasized that Iran will hold the US accountable through international institutions.