104 people died in a US attack on a ship off the coast of Sri Lanka

Iran's military announced on Sunday that at least 104 people were killed and 32 injured in a recent attack by US forces on an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka. The Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was sunk there by an American submarine on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported, citing an internal cable from the US State Department, that the US authorities are pressuring the Sri Lankan government not to send the surviving sailors from the sunken frigate to Iran.

“Sri Lankan authorities should limit Iranian attempts to use detainees for propaganda purposes,” the cable said.

The torpedoing of Dena, which US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as a “silent death”, was the first such attack carried out by the US since the end of World War II. Reuters viewed this action as a sign of the geographic expansion of U.S. operations against Iran.

The frigate was taking part in exercises organized by India in February and was returning to Iran when it was hit by an American torpedo. A U.S. official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that Dena was armed and U.S. forces did not warn her before the strike.

This week, the Sri Lankan authorities also brought ashore 208 crew members of another Iranian ship, IRINS Bushehr, which reported a failure of one of its engines after the conflict broke out. The Sri Lankan army took control of the ship.

Since February 28, Israel and the US have been conducting airstrikes on Iran. In the first phase of the attacks, among others, died. the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In response, Iran is shelling Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, hitting American military bases in the region as well as civilian infrastructure. (PAP)

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