GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) — New Delhi says an Iranian warship that was sunk by a U.S. submarine near Sri Lanka took part in a naval exercise hosted by India before sailing into international waters in the Indian Ocean to return home.
The sinking underscores the scale of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and its spread across the Middle East and beyond. It has also sparked a debate in India over maritime security in the Indian Ocean – a region where New Delhi maintains a significant naval presence.
On Wednesday, the Sri Lankan Navy recovered 87 bodies from the IRIS Dena and rescued 32 Iranian sailors. The ship sank in international waters off the coast of the island nation, a rare occurrence since World War II of a submarine torpedoing a ship.
The Sri Lankan Navy said it had responded to the distress call sent by the “IRIS Dena”, but when it arrived at the scene, there was no trace of the ship and only some oil and sailors were floating on the water. The rescued sailor was taken to a hospital in the town of Galle on Sri Lanka’s southern coast.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the sinking showed that U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran have expanded beyond their borders, describing the IRIS Dena as a “trophy ship.” US President Donald Trump has said one of the main goals of the war is to eliminate the Iranian navy.
A video posted by the U.S. Department of Defense on X shows the moment the torpedo struck. The Iranian ship appeared to have been hit by an underwater explosion, causing it to break apart and send a large column of water rising into the air.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. Navy of committing “atrocities at sea” in sinking the frigate and said on social media on Thursday that the United States “will deeply regret this attack.”
Araghchi said the IRIS Dena was carrying “nearly 130” crew members.
The Indian Navy and Ministry of Defense stated that Iranian warships participated in the international fleet review and multilateral naval exercise “Milan 2026” organized by the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam Port from February 15 to 25. The Indian Navy and Ministry of Defense said that 74 countries participated in these activities.
The Indian Navy posted on X on February 17 that it saw Iranian warships sailing at sea during the exercise. Another photo showed several crew members posing on the deck with the Iranian flag in the background.
Araghchi emphasized that the frigate is a “guest” of the Indian Navy. The Indian government has yet to comment publicly on the incident.
Another Iranian ship enters Sri Lankan territorial waters
In Sri Lanka, Nalinda Jayatissa, the country’s media minister and government spokesperson, told parliament on Thursday that another Iranian ship had arrived in its waters.
Jayatissa did not provide further details about the ship or the number of people on board. He said the government was working to “minimize the loss of life and maintain regional peace,” without elaborating.
India questions about shipwreck
India has long viewed the Indian Ocean as central to its security, with its navy conducting regular patrols and multinational exercises to protect key sea lanes used for global trade and energy transport. It has also traditionally sought to maintain a careful diplomatic balance amid tensions between the United States and Iran, while emphasizing diplomacy and negotiation.
However, Indian opposition leaders on Thursday questioned the government’s lack of response to the incident, saying the sinking of the warship so close to India’s maritime neighbors necessitated an official statement.
The opposition Indian National Congress party has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for its “silence”.
“The conflict has reached our backyard with an Iranian warship sinking in the Indian Ocean. But the Prime Minister said nothing,” opposition leader Rahul Gandhi wrote in a post on X.
Kanwal Sibal, a former diplomat who served as India’s foreign minister from 2002 to 2003, wrote in
“The United States has ignored India’s sensitivities,” Sibal said. “The ship entered these waters at the invitation of India.”
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Salik reported from New Delhi. Associated Press reporter Bharatha Mallawarachi in Colombo, Sri Lanka, contributed to this report.
