Iran Labels Strike on Unarmed Training Ship a 'War Crime'

COLOMBO (News 1st); Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the United States of committing a war crime, claiming an unarmed Iranian naval training ship (IRIS Dena) was attacked while returning from an Indian‑hosted exercise and carrying only training officers and sailors.

Araghchi said the vessel had travelled to India as an invited participant in a naval training exercise arranged by the Indian Navy. He stressed that the ship was unarmed and not engaged in any military mission.

“That was a training navy, training ship, which was invited by the Indian Navy to take part in an exercise,” he said. “They went there as their guests… and they did participate in that exercise. And they were on their way back home. And the ship was unarmed. So attacking an unarmed [ship] full of training officers and sailors is… a war crime, I have to say.”

During the exchange on NBC News, Araghchi was pressed on why Iran would allow a naval vessel to operate without weapons on board.

He responded that the deployment was strictly for a peaceful training mission, not for combat. “Because… their aim was not going to war,” he said. “They went for an exercise, you know, which was arranged by the Indian Navy. There are so many other guests who went there and… everything was peaceful, a peaceful training process.”

He added that the mission had begun “long before the war started,” arguing that the crew had no need for weapons during the exercise or the journey home.

Araghchi warned that the U.S. strike carries wider implications under international maritime law. He said Washington had “set a precedent, which is against international law and would actually damage the whole concept of international law of seas.”

“When an unarmed ship is attacked with no reason, and a big number of sailors are killed without taking part in any battle, that would set a precedent,” he said.

The Iranian foreign minister insisted that the attack had no legal or military justification, reiterating that the vessel had not been involved in hostilities. He maintained that this action by the United States would have lasting and harmful consequences for global maritime norms.