TEHRAN- Iran’s Dena was attacked by a US submarine at the coasts of Sri Lanka on March 4, 2026, while returning home from a naval drill with India.

Iran's High Council for Human Rights has called on the United Nations to recognize US officials behind the deliberate attack on the Iranian Dena destroyer as war criminals.

In a statement released on Monday, the council condemned the firing of two torpedoes by the US Navy submarine USS Charlotte at the Dena, a Wave-class frigate of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, in international waters near the southern coast of Sri Lanka, on March 4, that killed 104 of its crew.

It said that the attack, which was carried out during the illegal US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, violates the prohibition on the use of force outside the framework of self-defense as enshrined in the UN Charter.

The assault breaches the principles of distinction, precautions, and proportionality under international humanitarian law, it added.

The US carried out the double-tap attack on the Dena destroyer in a bid to maximize human casualties after the vessel was disabled.

The rights body also noted that the American submarine violated the fundamental rights of the drowned and injured Iranian sailors by leaving the scene without conducting a rescue operation.

It further censured the US for prohibiting the return of the bodies of the martyrs in an inhumane manner.

Iran “holds the United States and relevant military and political authorities directly responsible for this war crime and calls on the Human Rights Council and the Secretary-General of the United Nations to officially condemn the attack … [and] place an independent case of this crime on their agenda and register the names of the responsible US officials as war criminals,” the council said.

Meanwhile, it called for pressure on the US government to issue an official apology and pay full compensation to the Iranian government and people, especially the bereaved.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its inherent and legitimate right to defend its territorial integrity and military and human existence, including a proportionate response to this crime and its legal pursuit in all domestic and international authorities.”

The Dena destroyer was present at the port of Visakhapatnam at the invitation of the Indian Navy and within the framework of international protocols to participate in the exercises “International Fleet Review 2026” and “Milan 2026”. It was attacked in international waters by the US Navy while returning home after the drills.

In addition to the 104 sailors martyred in the assault, 32 of the destroyer’s crew members were rescued by Sri Lankan forces, while the bodies of 20 others were never found.