Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi Thursday said that the US "will come to bitterly regret [the] precedent it has set" after an American submarine sank an Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, off the coast of Sri Lanka.

Araghchi’s comment represented the first Iranian government acknowledgement of the sinking of the frigate in the Indian Ocean, even as a controversy erupted over the US Navy not picking up survivors.

"The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores," Araghchi wrote.

"Frigate Dena, a guest of India's Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning. Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set."

In the virtual world, condemnation grew of the US Navy’s actions.

Craig John Murray, Scottish author, human rights campaigner, journalist, and Britain’s former ambassador to Uzbekistan, wrote on X: “Despite there being no threat of any kind, the US submarine sailed away with no attempt to pick up survivors, leaving them to drown. Breaking the first and holiest unwritten law amongst mariners.”

Some others even posted photos purportedly from World War II showing the German navy picking up survivors of Allied warships they had hit, and compared it to US actions. Others pointed out that Virginia class submarines have very little space to carry prisoners of war.

On February 17, the Eastern Naval Command had welcomed IRIS Dena to India.

“Khoshomadid! #IndianNavy welcomes IRIS Dena, a Moudge Class Frigate of the Iranian Navy at #Visakhapatnam, #AndhraPadesh for participation in the Multilateral Naval Exercise #MILAN2024,” the Indian Navy wing had posted on its X (formerly Twitter) handle.

“This is a reflection of our shared historical & cultural linkages,” the post said.