Iran vows to avenge 104 sailors martyred in US torpedoing of frigate Dena

Deputy Army Commander for Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari made the pledge during a television program on Friday, emphasizing that the Dena was on a peaceful training mission when it was struck.

"Our ship had gone on a peace and friendship exercise and was training. It carried no combat weapons," Sayyari said.

"These martyrs were innocently killed. If they were men of the battlefield, why did they attack someone in such a treacherous manner? We will avenge these martyrs."

The Dena, a Moudge-class frigate, was torpedoed and sunk by the US Navy submarine USS Charlotte in international waters off the coast of Galle, Sri Lanka, on March 4.

The vessel was returning home after participating in the International Fleet Review 2026 naval exercise hosted by India — a multinational gathering to which Iran had been officially invited.

Sayyari criticized international and human rights organizations for remaining silent on what Iran calls a war crime.

"Why don't international and human rights organizations say anything about these issues? We have given 104 martyrs and the bodies of 20 of our martyrs remain in the sea and have not returned," he said.

According to the Iranian Army, a total of 136 personnel were on board the frigate when the USS Charlotte fired two Mark 48 torpedoes without warning. One hundred four were killed, 32 were wounded and rescued by Sri Lankan forces, and the remains of 20 crew members were never recovered.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi vowed in the days following the attack that the United States would "bitterly regret" the sinking, writing on X: "The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores. Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set."

'Unrivaled' drone production

Sayyari also hailed Iran's domestically-manufactured drones as "unrivaled," expressing satisfaction with the high production rate of the unmanned aerial vehicles despite difficult conditions.

"Drones have been unrivaled in the Army and their production rate is very high," he said, adding that the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have launched drones at enemy positions and some personnel were martyred in those operations.

Sayyari rejected enemy claims that Iran's naval power has been destroyed, stating: "We have had and continue to have power in the region."

He emphasized that the west of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway itself, and the Persian Gulf are under the tight control of the IRGC Navy, while the east of the Strait of Hormuz and the northern Indian Ocean are under the tight control of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy.

"No vessel can enter without our permission," the senior commander emphasized.

Since the start of US-Israeli aggression on February 28, Iran has imposed restrictions on the passage of vessels related to the aggressors and their supporters. Since Thursday, following US violation of the April 8 Islamabad-brokered ceasefire and its attacks on infrastructure in southern Iran, Iranian officials announced the closure of the strait until further notice.