Iran navy chief vows ‘deadly’ response for IRIS Dena ship sinking
March 17, 2026 09:52 am
Iran’s navy commander Shahram Irani warned that Tehran’s enemies would face retaliation for the killing of dozens of sailors after the IRIS Dena was sunk in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka.
“We will not forget the enemy’s crime, and we will exact retribution for the blood of our martyrs,” Irani was quoted as saying by Iran’s English-language broadcaster Press TV.
“The enemy should know that we will punish it with deadly strikes from where it least expects,” he said.
The IRIS Dena was sunk on March 4 by a US submarine torpedo off the coast of Galle while sailing in international waters after a joint naval exercise with India, killing at least 87 sailors.
Thirty-two were rescued and several others remain missing.
Source: Iran International
--Agencies
