Iranian army chief vows appropriate response to attack on naval ship in Indian Ocean

Iran has announced it will deliver an appropriate response to the attack on its naval warship 'IRIS Dena' in the Indian Ocean. The country's army chief, Major General Amir Hatami, made the announcement on Saturday.

In an interview with Iran's official news agency IRNA, Major General Hatami said, "The crew of IRIS Dena was returning to Iran after completing a peaceful mission. At that time, the ship was attacked completely unprovoked, killing over a hundred crew members. We will give an appropriate response to this attack."

"The crew of IRIS Dena will remain a symbol of patriotism, courage and sacrifice in the history of Iran's navy. Iran's defence forces are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect the country's maritime borders and strengthen the navy," he added.

Amir Hatami stated that the army is committed to defending Iran's maritime borders and will strengthen naval capabilities with even greater resolve.

On March 4, the United States torpedoed and sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean as it was returning home after completing naval exercises.

India had organised the international naval exercise 'Milan 2026' in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on February 18. Over 70 countries participated in the exercise with one or more warships each. Among these countries was Iran, whose navy participated with its warship IRIS Dena.

As the ship was returning to Iran after the exercises, a US Navy torpedo attack off the coast of Sri Lanka destroyed IRIS Dena, killing 94 of the 104 crew members on board. The Sri Lankan navy has been able to recover the bodies of 84 of the deceased. Colombo returned these bodies to Tehran on Friday.