New Delhi/Colombo, Mar 4: In a significant escalation of the West Asia crisis, a US submarine on Wednesday torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in international waters off Sri Lanka’s coast when it was returning after participating in the Milan naval exercise, a multilateral wargame hosted by India.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, confirming the strike, said at a Pentagon media briefing that it was the first sinking of an enemy warship by a torpedo since World War II.
The Associated Press, quoting the Sri Lankan Navy, reported that 87 bodies were recovered and that 32 people were rescued following the sinking of the warship IRIS Dena.
“An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters…Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo,” Hegseth said.
The incident marks a major escalation of the conflict between the US and Iran outside of the Persian Gulf and throws up questions relating to maritime security in the Indian Ocean that is largely considered as the backyard of the Indian Navy.
The Pentagon has also released a short video of the sinking of the Iranian frigate.
The warship IRIS Dena is a Moudge-class frigate and had nearly 180 crew members on board.
Sri Lankan officials said a major search and rescue operation was underway to rescue the survivors.
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said the military rescued 32 critically wounded sailors.
The military of the island nation launched the search and rescue operation after receiving a distress signal from the Iranian warship, they said.
IRIS Dena was part of the Indian Navy’s premier multilateral maritime exercise Milan. The mega exercise last month saw participation of 42 warships and submarines that included 18 ships from friendly foreign countries.
The warship had also featured in the International Fleet Review hosted by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam last month.
Former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash described the US action as a “senseless” and “inflammatory act”.
“Sinking of an Iranian warship, off southern tip of Sri Lanka, with heavy loss of life is a senseless & inflammatory act. Initiating another dimension of violence in this open-ended conflict, will spread alarm across the high seas & disrupt global seaborne commerce. Condemnable!,” he said on social media.
The US launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting Israel and American military bases in several Gulf countries including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
In the last two days, the conflict has widened significantly with attacks and counter-attacks by both sides.
India has called for resolving the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
“In recent days, we have not only witnessed an intensification of the conflict but also its spread to other nations. The destruction and deaths have mounted, even as normal life and economic activities come to a halt,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.
“As a proximate neighbour with critical stakes in the security and stability of the region, these developments evoke great anxiety,” it said.
Sri Lanka recovers some 80 bodies of Iranian sailors killed in US attack
Sri Lankan authorities on Wednesday said that they have recovered some 80 bodies of Iranian sailors killed after a US submarine attack that sank an Iranian naval ship off the island’s southern coast.
Sri Lanka earlier said its Navy rescued 32 Iranian sailors from the distressed Iranian frigate – IRIS Dena- in the southern waters early this morning. The frigate was carrying around 180 sailors on board.
While the Sri Lankan Navy refused to give reasons as to what caused the vessel to make a distress plea, US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in international waters.
He said it was the first sinking of an enemy vessel by torpedo since World War II.
The Iranian ship recently participated in an international naval drill hosted by India. There was no immediate comment from the Indian Navy.
“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth told reporters in Washington. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo.”
Hegseth said the US military sank the Iranian ship named after “Soleimani”, the former Iranian Quds force chief general Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by US forces during President Donald Trump’s first term.
“I guess POTUS got him twice,” Hegseth said, referring to General Soleimani.
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that an emergency message was received by the Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard at 5.08 am regarding a sinking ship named IRIS Dena, located about 40 nautical miles off the southern port district of Galle.
Herath said that the Sri Lanka Navy and Air Force carried out a joint rescue operation.
“Thirty of them were rescued while around 180 were said to be on board,” he said.
Officials said they have recovered some 80 bodies of Iranian sailors.
Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra said the bodies are now at the hospital at Karapitiya in Galle.
Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson Commander Buddhika Sampath earlier told reporters in Colombo that several bodies were found near the location of the distress signal, though the exact number was not immediately available.
“At this point, it is difficult to give any numbers, but bodies have been found. As they were found closer to the point of distress, it is accepted that they were from the same ship,” he said.
“When our teams reached the scene, we observed a large oil slick, indicating that the ship had sunk,” Sampath added.
In response to a question, the spokesperson had categorically rejected media reports that the ship had been sunk in a submarine attack.
“We are only concerned about our obligation to rescue them as first responders under international maritime obligations,” he said.
Sampath said the cause of the distress signal would be determined later through investigations by specialised authorities.
Although the incident occurred outside Sri Lankan territorial waters, it fell within the country’s search and rescue zone, he said.
Sampath confirmed the vessel was Iranian and the rescued crew members were wearing Iranian naval uniforms.
Air Force spokesman Nalin Wewakumbura said no other vessels or aircraft were detected in the area where the distress signal originated.
Hearth said Sri Lankan is bound by international conventions on maritime rescue to assist anyone in distress, irrespective of the reason.
The rescued sailors were taken to the Navy’s Southern Command headquarters and later admitted to Karapitiya Hospital in Galle, Herath added.
Officials said that security measures around the Southern Command have been increased.
Referring to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Herath said Sri Lanka deeply regretted the situation and urged a peaceful resolution. (AP/PTI)
