Omar Abdullah on Iran warship sunk by US off Sri Lanka: 'They were our guests'

Omar Abdullah

Expressing concerns over the attack on an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday, called the incident "unfortunate".

An American submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, the US defence secretary has said. Pete Hegseth said the ship was sunk by a torpedo on Tuesday and died a "quiet death". He did not name the vessel.

His announcement came after Sri Lanka said its navy had responded to a distress call on Wednesday morning from an Iranian ship, the Iris Dena, which had gone down about 40km (25 miles) from its southern coastline.

Abdullah said the warship was attacked while returning from a naval exercise in India, saying, "They were our guests.

In some way, our country is also being dragged into this situation. What will happen in the future is beyond my jurisdiction," said Omar while interacting with media persons.

Eighty bodies from the frigate were found by rescuers, a Sri Lankan defence official told BBC Sinhala. Another 32 were rescued, the country's navy said. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US had "perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores".

Regarding Nepal's elections, he said polls are essential for democracy, adding, "A new leader has emerged there." Let us see what decision the people of Nepal take."

"This is the first general election being held there after those developments. Elections must be conducted properly in a democracy. How can a government be formed without elections? As I have read in newspapers, a new leader has emerged there. Let us see what decision the people of Nepal take,” Abdullah added.