Araghchi: Iran launches legal action over attack on IRIS Dena

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that Tehran has begun legal proceedings, in coordination with the Iranian Navy, over the attack on the IRIS Dena, describing the incident as a "war crime" that will be pursued through international legal channels. Speaking after visiting an exhibition displaying personal belongings recovered from the vessel's fallen crew, Araghchi said the Foreign Ministry responded immediately after the incident, overseeing the transfer of the victims' remains, the evacuation of the wounded, and other necessary measures. He argued that the attack targeted personnel conducting a routine mission far from any battlefield, who were neither engaged in combat nor aware of any imminent threat, making the strike "a clear war crime." Araghchi said the Foreign Ministry's legal department, working alongside the Iranian Navy, has begun collecting evidence and preparing legal documentation to pursue accountability, pledging that Iran "will neither forget nor forgo the blood of the martyrs." The IRIS Dena, one of the Iranian Navy's most advanced domestically built frigates, was returning from the multinational MILAN 2026 naval exercise hosted by India when it came under attack by a US submarine in international waters off the southern coast of Sri Lanka on March 4, 2026. The vessel was on a routine return voyage, far from the active battlefield, when it was struck without warning by a torpedo fired from an American submarine. Iran's Army said 104 sailors were killed, 32 were injured, and several others were reported missing after the attack.