A sailor of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which was sunk by a US submarine in Indian Ocean off the Sri Lankan coast on March 4, had called his father over phone minutes before the frigate was struck by a torpedo, saying American forces had twice ordered the crew to abandon the warship, according to a report by Iran International, a Persian-language satellite TV channel and news network.
Despite the twin US warnings, IRIS Dena’s commander refused to allow the crew to abandon the ship, the report said, quoting a source close to the family of the sailor. The sailor’s father said some crew members had argued with the commander, and the 32 sailors who survived the attack were basically those who managed to escape on lifeboats after the warning, according to the source.
