US-Israel-Iran war: US struck Dena, 'guest of India's Navy', without warning, says Seyed Abbas Araghchi
The frigate was returning from India after participating in the 2026 International Fleet Review in Vishakhapatnam when it was attacked and sank off the southern coast of Sri Lanka.
- Mar 5, 2026,
- Updated Mar 5, 2026 12:11 PM IST
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday said that the US struck its frigate, IRIS Dena, in international waters without warning. He claimed in a post on X that the struck frigate was "a guest of India's Navy" and carried around 130 sailors.
He also had a stern warning for the US. His tweet came almost a day after a US submarine struck and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka.
Araghchi wrote on X: "The U.S. 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. Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set."
The frigate was returning from India after participating in the 2026 International Fleet Review in Vishakhapatnam when it was attacked and sank off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. At least 80 people have been killed as a result of IRIS Dena's sinking, leading to heightened tensions between the US and the Middle East.
Commenting on the incident, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that around 180 personnel were on board the Iranian frigate when it went down about 40 nautical miles off the island after issuing a distress call.
This is the first sinking of a ship by a US torpedo in the Indian Ocean since World War 2.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth validated the submarine attack, characterizing it as a demonstration of the United States' expansive military capabilities throughout the conflict with Iran, though official casualty figures remain unverified.
"An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo," Hegseth told reporters.
The targeted vessel had previously faced sanctions from the U.S. Treasury Department in February 2023. These penalties were part of a broader crackdown involving eight leaders of an Iranian drone company responsible for providing Russia with armaments used to strike civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
According to U.S. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of Central Command, this engagement brings the total number of Iranian naval ships destroyed in the current hostilities to at least 17.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday said that the US struck its frigate, IRIS Dena, in international waters without warning. He claimed in a post on X that the struck frigate was "a guest of India's Navy" and carried around 130 sailors.
He also had a stern warning for the US. His tweet came almost a day after a US submarine struck and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka.
Araghchi wrote on X: "The U.S. 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. Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set."
The frigate was returning from India after participating in the 2026 International Fleet Review in Vishakhapatnam when it was attacked and sank off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. At least 80 people have been killed as a result of IRIS Dena's sinking, leading to heightened tensions between the US and the Middle East.
Commenting on the incident, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that around 180 personnel were on board the Iranian frigate when it went down about 40 nautical miles off the island after issuing a distress call.
This is the first sinking of a ship by a US torpedo in the Indian Ocean since World War 2.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth validated the submarine attack, characterizing it as a demonstration of the United States' expansive military capabilities throughout the conflict with Iran, though official casualty figures remain unverified.
"An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo," Hegseth told reporters.
The targeted vessel had previously faced sanctions from the U.S. Treasury Department in February 2023. These penalties were part of a broader crackdown involving eight leaders of an Iranian drone company responsible for providing Russia with armaments used to strike civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
According to U.S. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of Central Command, this engagement brings the total number of Iranian naval ships destroyed in the current hostilities to at least 17.