- The United States has rejected Iran’s claim that its warship, the IRIS Dena, was unarmed when it was sunk by a US submarine off Sri Lanka on 4 March.
- Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said the vessel was ceremonial, unloaded, and unarmed, returning from multinational naval exercises in India.
- The US Indo-Pacific Command labelled Iran’s assertion as “false”, while an Indian navy official indicated the vessel was not “entirely unarmed” and had participated in drills.
- Defence analyst Rahul Bedi noted that while vessels typically carry limited non-offensive ammunition for exercises, the precondition for ceremonial parades is often to be unarmed.
- The incident led to 32 sailors being rescued and 87 bodies recovered, intensifying tensions and highlighting the spread of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran beyond the Middle East.
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