The Iranian warship, which sank in international waters off Sri Lanka's coast after a US submarine attack, was not carrying any weapons, a senior Iranian official said on Thursday, describing America's targeting of the vessel as against international law.
The Iranian ship -- IRIS Dena -- was returning home after participating in the Milan multilateral naval exercise hosted by India when it was attacked early Wednesday.
At least 87 Iranian sailors were killed in the attack, according to Sri Lankan authorities.
"The targeting of the Iranian ship is against international law, as they did not possess any type of weapons," Ayatollah Dr Abdul Majeed Hakeemelahi, the representative of Iran's supreme leader in India, told PTI in an interview.
"They (Iranian sailors) came here for some exercise...They wanted to go back to Iran (after the end of exercise), and they were attacked by the US," he said.
"This is against humanity, against morality, and against justice," he added.
On the current conflict, Hakeemelahi said that Iran is defending itself. -- PTI
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