Tehran, March 17 -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday reiterated his condolences over the deaths of sailors aboard the Islamic Republic of Iran Ship (IRIS) Dena after the frigate was hit by a US torpedo and sunk approximately 40 nautical miles off the coast of Galle in Sri Lanka.

In a post on X, the Iranian President also condemned the US strike on the vessel as an "inhumane crime", stating that the Islamic Republic still mourns the loss of "20 eternal masterpieces and 84 innocent sea-lovers".

He added that the names of the fallen naval personnel would endure "like the steadfast peaks of Dena" and expressed solidarity with the families of the victims and their comrades in the Iranian Navy.

"Today, the hearts of the people ...