'Biryani, sabzi': Iranian sailor's cheerful video goes viral after tragedy
A cheerful video of Iranian sailor Mehdi at Visakhapatnam's International Fleet Review is making the rounds online.
In the clip, he's smiling with a shamsheer sword, recommending Gourmet Sabzi, and saying he loved spicy biryani, plus sharing a laugh over a Telugu phrase with his ship in the background.
The lighthearted moment has caught attention because it surfaced just days after news broke about his ship, IRIS Dena, being sunk by a US submarine.
The tragedy and its aftermath
The sinking happened in March 2026, when a US submarine torpedoed IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka, the first US sinking of an enemy ship by torpedo since World War II.
Out of roughly 130 to 180 crew members, only 32 were rescued by Sri Lankan forces; sadly, 87 bodies have been recovered so far.
Iran has called the attack an "atrocity" and promised to respond.