Iranian sailors were visiting India before the attack, took selfie in front of Taj Mahal… became the last memory

Traveling in India, taking selfies in front of the Taj Mahal and shopping on the seashore, these probably became the last memories for those Iranian sailors whose ship became the victim of an attack at sea just a few days later.

In fact, Iranian Navy’s warship IRIS Dena had come to India in February to participate in the international naval exercise MILAN-2026 held in Visakhapatnam. During this period, many Iranian sailors of the ship visited Visakhapatnam as well as historical sites like Taj Mahal and Bodhgaya. There they posed for photographs and also did shopping in the local markets.

In fact, Iranian Navy’s warship IRIS Dena had come to India in February to participate in the international naval exercise MILAN-2026 held in Visakhapatnam. During this period, many Iranian sailors of the ship visited different cities of India. They visited Visakhapatnam, did shopping on the beach and also went to Agra and took pictures and selfies in front of the Taj Mahal. Apart from this, some sailors also visited historical and religious places like Bodh Gaya.

But these moments spent in India probably became the last memories of his life. A few days later, there was a military attack on the same Iranian warship in the open sea. According to reports, the US Navy targeted this ship through a submarine. The warship was seriously damaged after the attack and later sank in the sea.

It is being told that there were more than 100 people on the ship at that time. There has been news of death of about 80 Iranian sailors in this attack. After this incident, tension has increased further at the international level. Especially for the countries associated with the Indian Ocean region, it is being considered a strategically serious incident.

The name of the warship which was targeted was IRIS Dena. It was a modern warship of Iran’s Mauj class frigate class and was counted among the most advanced ships of the Iranian Navy. The ship had pennant number 75 and was part of the Iranian Navy’s Southern Fleet. It was named after Mount Dena, a famous mountain in Iran.

IRIS Dena was built at the Naval Shipyard in Bandar Abbas, Iran. The construction work of this warship started in 2012 and it was launched into the sea in 2015. After this, it was officially inducted into the Iranian Navy on 13 June 2021. The special thing was that this ship was built completely with indigenous technology and many of its important systems were developed in Iran itself.

After this incident, the eyes of the international community are focused on the situation in the Middle East. Experts believe that if such incidents continue, it could have a major impact on global maritime security and regional stability.