GALLE, Sri Lanka — A deadly submarine attack by US forces has claimed the lives of 87 Iranian naval personnel after their warship participated in military exercises with India’s navy, according to officials from New Delhi.
The attack highlights how the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against Iran is expanding far beyond Middle Eastern boundaries. The incident has also sparked intense discussions in India regarding maritime safety throughout the Indian Ocean, where New Delhi maintains substantial naval operations.
Sri Lankan naval forces pulled 87 bodies from the water and saved 32 crew members from the IRIS Dena on Wednesday, after the vessel was destroyed in international waters near the island nation. Such submarine warfare represents an uncommon occurrence not seen since the Second World War.
According to Sri Lanka’s maritime forces, they responded to an emergency call from the IRIS Dena, but arrived to find only oil slicks and survivors in the water where the ship had been. Medical facilities in Galle, located on Sri Lanka’s southern shoreline, received the rescued sailors for treatment.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth characterized the attack as evidence that US-Israeli military actions against Iran are expanding internationally, calling the IRIS Dena a “prize ship.” President Donald Trump has stated that eliminating Iran’s naval capabilities remains a primary war objective.
The Defense Department shared footage on social media platform X capturing the torpedo strike. The video shows the Iranian vessel being torn apart by an underwater blast, sending massive water columns skyward.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US Navy for what he called “an atrocity at sea” in destroying the frigate, posting on social media Thursday that America “will come to bitterly regret” the assault.
Araghchi reported the IRIS Dena was carrying “almost 130” personnel.
Indian naval and defense officials confirmed the Iranian warship had taken part in the International Fleet Review and the multinational MILAN 2026 naval training operation, hosted by India’s navy at Visakhapatnam port between February 15-25. Defense ministry sources said 74 nations participated in these events.
Indian naval social media posts from February 17 showed the Iranian vessel during the exercises, including photographs of crew members displaying their national flag on deck.
Araghchi emphasized that the frigate had served as “a guest” of India’s naval forces. Indian government officials have yet to issue public statements regarding the incident.
In Sri Lanka, Media Minister and government spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa informed parliament Thursday that a second Iranian vessel has entered their territorial waters.
Jayatissa offered no additional information about this ship or its crew size. He stated the government aims to “minimize the loss of lives and safeguard regional peace” without providing specifics.
India considers the Indian Ocean vital to national security, regularly deploying naval patrols and hosting international training exercises to protect crucial shipping routes for worldwide commerce and energy transport. The nation has historically attempted to balance diplomatic relations between the US and Iran while promoting peaceful dialogue.
Indian opposition politicians Thursday criticized the government’s silence on the matter, arguing that a warship’s destruction so near India’s maritime territory demanded an official response.
The opposition Indian National Congress party criticized what it termed “silence” from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.
“The conflict has reached our backyard, with an Iranian warship sunk in the Indian Ocean. Yet the Prime Minister has said nothing,” opposition leader Rahul Gandhi posted on X.
Former diplomat Kanwal Sibal, who held the foreign secretary position from 2002-2003, wrote on X that while India bears no “political or military responsibility for the U.S. attack,” its “responsibility is at a moral and human plane.”
“The U.S. has ignored India’s sensitivities,” Sibal stated. “The ship was in these waters because of India’s invitation.”
