Iranian sailor killed on Dena told father US warned ship before strike

Mar 7, 2026, 15:04 GMT

An Iranian sailor who was killed when the warship Dena was struck by the US near Sri Lanka had called his father shortly beforehand, saying American forces had issued two warnings for the crew to abandon the vessel, a source close to the family told Iran International.

The Iranian navy warship's commander refused to allow the crew to abandon Dena despite the imminent threat, the source added.

The sailor’s father said some crew members argued with the commander, and the 32 crew members who survived were mainly sailors who managed to escape on lifeboats, according to the source.

A US submarine torpedoed Dena in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, about 19 nautical miles from the southern Sri Lankan port of Galle, killing dozens of sailors and significantly expanding Washington’s campaign against Iran’s naval forces.

The sinking of the Dena — described by US War Secretary Pete Hegseth as a “quiet death” — marked the first time since World War II that the United States had torpedoed an enemy warship, underscoring the widening geographic reach of the conflict with Iran.

An internal US State Department cable dated March 6 seen by Reuters said the US urged Sri Lankan authorities not to return the 32 surviving sailors from Dena and the 208 sailors Sri Lanka rescued from naval auxiliary ship IRIS Booshehr.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202603071125