Iranian warship sunk by US torpedo participated in Indian drill

The Iranian vessel was among 18 foreign warships participating in the biennial MILAN exercise, alongside ships from Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan and Russia. Officials from more than 70 countries attended, including representatives from the United States and Britain.

India described the exercise as one of the largest multilateral naval drills in the Indo-Pacific, aimed at strengthening interoperability, maritime domain awareness and collective response capabilities.

India’s navy had welcomed Dena’s arrival as a reflection of the “long-standing cultural links between the two nations”. Since the sinking, videos have circulated of Iranian sailors marching through the streets of Visakhapatnam during exercise events.