Iran has come down heavily on the United States after it struck the Iranian warship Iris Dena in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka coast on Wednesday. The frigate had recently participated in the International Fleet Review in India and the Multinational Exercise Milan in Visakhapatnam. The frigate was heading back to Iran after participating in the Indian-hosted maritime events.
Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that Iris Dena was "a guest of the Indian Navy" and was struck without warning by the US. Araqchi further threated the US and said it would "bitterly regret" the targeting.
"Frigate Dena, a guest of India's Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning…Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set," the Iranian minister wrote on X.
At least 87 people were killed in the strike while several others are still missing, news agency AFP reported. The attack comes amid escalating tensions involving the US, Israel and Iran, which have unsettled the Gulf region.
In a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that a torpedo from a US submarine sank the Iranian warship. He added that the strike was the first such attack on an enemy since World War II, reported AP.
There were 130 people on board. 32 people were rescued from the ship off Sri Lanka's southern coast and have been admitted to a hospital, a top Sri Lankan official said on Wednesday, as reported by AP. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka sent ships and air force planes on a rescue mission, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament on Wednesday.