Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has told Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath that the US sinking of the frigate IRIS Dena off Sri Lankan waters was an “unprecedented war crime,” adding that only about 30 of some 180 crew survived.
Araghchi said the action was a grave violation of international humanitarian law and the 1949 Geneva Conventions, and that Iran would never forget the crime. He told Herath that Tehran would pursue “all legal and political means” to hold the perpetrators accountable and bring them to justice, The Island reported, citing the Iranian Embassy in Colombo.
The message was conveyed in a telephone conversation on the ongoing West Asia conflict. Araghchi also referred to what he described as broader crimes committed by the United States and Israel against Iran.
During the call, the Iranian foreign minister expressed appreciation for the Sri Lankan government’s role in the rescue operation and for facilitating the transfer of bodies of the Dena’s crew and other Iranian naval personnel back to Iran.
Araghchi said the Dena was sunk as it awaited clearance from Sri Lanka to enter Colombo port, along with two other Iranian vessels. Iranian Ambassador Dr. Alireza Delkhosh has previously said the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy invited the Iranian ships to visit Colombo after their participation in the International Fleet Review and MILAN 2026 exercises held in India in late February. All three vessels had been unarmed at the time, in keeping with protocols governing such events.
The communication follows Wednesday’s SL-Iran foreign ministers’ phone call and is separate from earlier compensation demands pursued through civil society. The National Joint Committee has separately called on Colombo to seek damages under Sri Lanka’s EEZ jurisdiction, citing the X-Press Pearl precedent.
