3 Australians were onboard US submarine that sank Iranian warship IRIS Dena: PM Anthony Albanese

Sydney: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed Friday that three Australian military personnel were aboard the American submarine that torpedoed and sank an Iranian naval vessel off the coast of Sri Lanka earlier this week.

In an interview with Sky News, Albanese clarified that the Australians were serving on the U.S. vessel as part of a multi-decade training initiative under the AUKUS defence agreement, a pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

"I can confirm that there were three Australian personnel on board that vessel," Albanese said. "These are long-standing third-country arrangements that have been in place for a long period of time."

The prime minister emphasised that while the personnel were present, they were not involved in the combat operation. "I can confirm also, though, that no Australian personnel have participated in any offensive action against Iran," he added.

The strike on Wednesday targeted the IRIS Dena, resulting in the deaths of at least 84 sailors. The incident represents the first major military engagement of the current conflict to take place far outside the Middle East since joint U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran commenced on Feb. 28.

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In Tehran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the sinking as an "atrocity" and issued a warning that Washington would "bitterly regret" the precedent established by the attack.

The Australian government had initially been reluctant to discuss the presence of its troops on the submarine, but Albanese stated that the high level of public interest and recent National Security Committee meetings necessitated the disclosure.

With inputs from AFP