Times Now reports from Ground Zero in Sri Lanka, where crew members of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena -- that was struck and sunk by the United States submarine using a torpedo weapon -- are being treated. According to reports, at least 33 Iranian sailors are being treated at Lanka's Galle hospital. The US submarine, which sank IRIS Dena, did not issue any warning before launching the attack, an Iranian diplomat had earlier said.
Times Now also accessed visuals of the IRIS Dena debris that was washed up at a Sri Lankan beach in the Hikkaduwa town. Visuals showed parts of the Iranian vessel floating towards the shore at the beach.
Meanwhile, United States had asked Sri Lanka not to send Iranian sailors back to Iran as they were part of the ongoing war with Tehran.
India in a statement said that it allowed docking of another Iranian vessel IRIS Lavan. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India received a request on February 28 post which the vessel took a couple of days time to sail towards Kochi. He said that the Iranian vessel had developed some issue and allowing its docking at the Kochi port was a "humane thing to do."
Amid this, Saeid Reza Mosayeb Motlagh, Iran's Consul General in Mumbai, stated that his country will not create any obstacle for commercial ships in the Gulf of Hormuz, but any vessel suspected of using commercial cover to carry out hostile activities will be dealt with accordingly.
The IRIS Dena was returning home after visiting India for naval exercises, and such ships do not carry significant war ammunition, the envoy said. Whatever limited ammunition it may have had would typically be used during the exercise itself. Therefore, it can be said that the warship was practically without military ammunition when it came under attack, he said.
The ship was hit by a torpedo fired by an American submarine in international waters off Sri Lanka's southern coast on Tuesday. It was returning from Visakhapatnam after taking part in the International Fleet Review.
"The American submarine did not issue any prior warning to this vessel and launched a sudden attack, causing the ship to explode. Unfortunately, around 100 people, perhaps even more, including our compatriots and brave Iranian soldiers, were martyred in this incident. The others were injured, and the necessary arrangements are currently being made to transfer them to Iran," Motlagh said.
Efforts are being made to facilitate their return to Iran through land borders, he added.
IRIS Dena, one of Iran's newest warships, was a Moudge-class frigate that patrolled in deep waters. It was armed with heavy guns, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. The vessel carried one helicopter.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
