Khatibzadeh, who is in India’s capital of New Delhi, said in an interview with the India media outlets, emphasizing that US is responsible for sinking Iran’s Dena destroyer participated in MILAN 2026 Naval Exercise in India.
Sinking an Iranian destroyer which was returning from its mission is deplorable and a painful incident, he emphasized.
Khatibzadeh, who is also the head of Center for Political and International Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the destroyer had participated in an international naval exercise at the invitation of host country India.
Turning to relations between Tehran and New Delhi, the deputy foreign minister noted that Iran and India share common civilizational commonalities and for this reason, Iran attaches great importance to its relation with India.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Khatibzadeh referred to the recent US-Israeli aggression against Iran, stressing that Iran has been under attack of a country which is based on sheer lies.
Iranian Dena destroyer came under attack by a US submarine at the coasts of Sri Lanka early on March 4 while returning its mission from a naval drill with India and was sunk by a US submarine, he said, adding that more than 80 crew members of the destroyer were martyred.
The attack was launched without any prior warning.
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