'India really helped us': Iran envoy on India’s support after US sank IRIS Dena

The Iranian Ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, on Saturday (March 14) said, “The Indian government has really helped us” in providing assistance to Iranian ships that came under attack from the United States amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

“The government of India, regarding these ships, really helped us. They accepted our request,” he said, speaking at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi.

These remarks from Fathali come after IRIS Dena, an Iranian naval ship that was in Indian waters to participate in a multilateral exercise, was sunk by the United States in a military strike on March 4, leading to the deaths of over 100 crew members on board the vessel. The incident sparked a fierce debate in India because the warship was returning from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, after taking part in the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026 from February 15–25.

However, it was torpedoed approximately 19 nautical miles (35 km) off the southern coast of Galle, in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Sri Lanka.

When asked about India and Sri Lanka’s response to Iran’s ship, he said, “Let me just talk about Iran and India. I am the Iranian ambassador to India. Let me not talk about the third country you mentioned. As an ambassador, I should see everything precisely.”

Hinting at Sri Lanka for possibly not assisting, he asserted, “Some other countries refused to cooperate.”

The Iranian envoy vowed a response to the sinking of the IRIS Dena, saying, “We will definitely give them a response, and part of that we have already done. Definitely, you will hear good news in a few days. Iran doesn’t leave any action without a response,” he added.

While IRIS Dena was torpedoed, another Iranian ship, IRIS Lavan, continues to remain docked at Kochi in Kerala, India's Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Saturday, adding that non-essential crew members departed the country on a chartered flight arranged by Iranian authorities along with other stranded Iranian nationals.

Also Read: 'Because India is our friend': Iran confirms safe passage to Indian ships thorugh Strait of Hormuz

Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing on the recent developments in West Asia, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the flight departed from Kochi and carried non-essential members of the crew of IRIS Lavan, along with several other Iranians who were stranded in India due to widespread flight disruptions amid the conflict.

“The flight took off from Kochi and also included the non-essential members of IRIS Lavan, which remains docked in Kochi,” Jaiswal added.

On Friday, the Iranian Ambassador confirmed that Tehran will provide safe passage to vessels bound for India through the Strait of Hormuz, citing the long-standing friendship and shared interests between the two countries.

(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)