TEHRAN — Iranian Army Deputy Coordinator Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari has called on international legal bodies to fulfill their responsibilities regarding the attack on the Iranian destroyer Dena, stressing that the vessel had been deployed to India to convey a message of peace and friendship and carry out training missions.
Speaking at a ceremony unveiling a legal petition filed by the families of 104 personnel killed aboard the Dena, Sayyari said pursuing the case was necessary to ensure that the families received answers and that the incident was addressed through legal channels.
“If international legal bodies make decisions under pressure from the United States and other countries, we have no expectations of them. But if they are free and independent, they must fulfill their responsibilities,” he said, according to Mehr News Agency.
The Dena’s voyage to India, he said, was part of this policy and was intended to convey Iran’s message of peace and friendship to countries around the world.
The deputy army coordinator stressed that the destroyer had not been deployed for combat.
Sayyari described the attack on a vessel engaged in a non-combat mission as an inhumane act.
Sayyari highlighted Iran’s role in protecting commercial vessels and oil tankers along international shipping routes in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Sayyari also referred to the attack on a school in Minab, saying the children and teenagers targeted there were not involved in military activities.
He called on international organizations to investigate the circumstances surrounding such attacks and pursue accountability for ‘war crimes.’
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