Iranian sailor reportedly called father minutes before US strike on warship

The account shows that not everyone obeyed the order to stay. (Image credit: Reuters)

• Iranian sailor called his father before US strike on IRIS Dena
• US forces warned crew twice to abandon ship, commander refused
• 32 sailors escaped using lifeboats before the attack

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A phone call made in the final minutes before a naval strike has added a deeply personal detail to the growing confrontation between the United States and Iran.

According to a report by Iran International, an Iranian sailor serving aboard the warship IRIS Dena called his father shortly before the vessel was struck by US forces. During the conversation, the sailor reportedly said that American forces had already warned the crew to abandon the ship.

The warning, he told his father, had been issued twice.

Despite the alerts, the sailor said the ship’s commander had refused to order an evacuation. The crew, according to the report, had been told to remain on board even as the situation escalated.

Minutes later, the ship was attacked.

The account suggests that not everyone followed the order to stay. The report says that about 32 sailors eventually chose to ignore the command and escaped using lifeboats before the strike took place.

Their decision appears to have saved their lives.

The IRIS Dena is one of Iran’s larger naval vessels and has previously taken part in long-range missions meant to show the country’s ability to operate beyond its immediate waters. Its reported destruction would mark a serious escalation in the current conflict at sea.

The United States has not publicly confirmed the details of the phone call or the sequence of warnings described in the report. In situations like these, information often emerges slowly and from competing sources.

Still, the story of the final call has drawn attention because it captures the moment from the perspective of someone inside the ship. Instead of the usual military language about operations and strikes, the account reflects the confusion and fear sailors face in the minutes before an attack.

For the sailor’s father, the call reportedly came as a shock. It was the last conversation he would have with his son.

As tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to rise, incidents like this are likely to be analysed mainly through military and political lenses. But stories

like this one serve as a reminder that behind the headlines are individual lives caught in the middle of decisions made far above them.