Tehran, March 18 (ANI) — A funeral procession was held Tuesday at the Imamzadeh Saleh shrine in northern Tehran for sailors from the Iranian naval frigate IRIS Dena, state media and Press TV reported.
The IRIS Dena sank on March 4 after being reportedly struck by a US torpedo about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Galle, Sri Lanka. Images of the ceremony were posted on X by state media under the caption, ‘Procession of the martyrs of the IRIS Dena at the Imamzadeh Saleh shrine in northern Tehran.’
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued condolences and denounced the strike as an ‘inhumane crime.’ He said Iran mourns the loss of ’20 eternal masterpieces and 84 innocent sea-lovers,’ adding that the names of the fallen would endure ‘like the steadfast peaks of Dena’ and expressing solidarity with their families and naval colleagues.
India dispatched naval vessels INS Tarangini and INS Ikshak, along with maritime patrol aircraft including P-8Is, to support Sri Lanka-led search and rescue operations after the frigate went down. Of an estimated 180 crew aboard IRIS Dena, more than 80 sailors have been reported dead; other survivors were rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy and taken to hospitals in Galle.
The sinking occurred amid a wider escalation that began on February 28 with the reported killing of 86-year-old Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in strikes attributed to the US and Israel. Iran subsequently launched retaliatory attacks on Israeli and US assets in several Gulf countries, actions that disrupted shipping lanes and affected international energy markets and economic stability. Following Ali Khamenei’s death, Mojtaba Khamenei was named the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, according to reports.
(ANI)
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