Although the Iranians say ill-fated IRIS Dena was a ‘guest of Indian Navy’, authoritative sources confirmed to HT that the ship did not ask for any help after war was declared on February 28.
IRIS Dena participated in the International Fleet Review (IFR) in Vizag from February 16 to February 25, the US-Israeli attack on Iran came on Feb 28.
This means that the ship was outside Indian territory and in international waters after leaving on Friday, February 25.
According to sources, the ship and its crew were Indian guests only from Feb 16 to Feb 25. Furthermore, the ship did not seek any help from India after that.
The IRIS Dena was hit on international waters by Virginia class SSN on Wednesday, March 4. The sinking, which Sri Lankan authorities say left at least 87 sailors dead while 32 survivors were rescued and taken to hospital in Galle.
As rescue operations continue for dozens still missing, the incident has intensified hostilities across the Middle East, with Iran launching fresh attacks on Israeli and US bases while Israel says it has begun a “large-scale” wave of strikes targeting Tehran.
(This story first appeared in Hindustan Times.)
