Tehran [Iran], March 11 (ANI): Esmaeil Baqaei, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, on Tuesday paid tributes to the sailors of IRIS Dena who were killed after the frigate was torpedoed and sunk by a US submarine approximately 40 nautical miles off the coast of Galle, Sri Lanka.

He called the action by the United States a 'war crime' and in violation of international laws-- further underlining that the Iranian people would not forget it.

In a post on X, Baqaei said, 'We honor the fallen sailors of the #Dena frigate, martyred on 4 March far from their homeland. The Dena had been officially invited by the Indian Navy to participate in a joint naval exercise and a port visit. In a brutal act amounting to a war crime, the United States attacked the vessel near the coasts of India and Sri Lanka and sank it.'

The post added, 'Worse still, the U.S. deliberately obstructed rescue operations for the sailors. This act not only constitutes aggression under UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 (Definition of Aggression), but also a grave violation of the laws of war, including Geneva Convention II (1949) and Additional Protocol I (1977). The Iranian people will neither forget nor forgive this heinous crime.'

https://x.com/IRIMFA_SPOX/status/2031407515490017552?s=20

Earlier, IRIS Dena sank south of Sri Lanka on March 4 after being struck by a US submarine torpedo approximately 20 nautical miles west of Galle. Following the incident, the Indian Navy deployed vessels, including INS Tarangini and INS Ikshak, along with maritime patrol aircraft such as P-8I aircraft, to assist Sri Lanka-led search and rescue operations.

Of the estimated 180 crew members on board IRIS Dena, around 87 sailors were reported dead, while about 32 survivors were rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy and admitted to hospitals in Galle.

Earlier, in an interview with ANI, Iran's Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali said that the Islamic Republic of Iran is closely monitoring the situation after the tragic incident involving IRIS Dena and is continuing efforts to assess the circumstances and ensure the well-being of the crew members.

'Following the tragic incident involving the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Dena in the waters of the Indian Ocean, the Islamic Republic of Iran is continuing to follow up on the situation of the crew members and to examine the different aspects of this incident,' the envoy said.

The developments follow amid an escalating security situation in West Asia, which has resulted in the conflict being now expanded beyond Iran, with Iranian retaliatory strikes--using missiles and drones--targeting U.S. military bases, embassies, and civilian/energy infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf nations, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan. (ANI)