A US Navy submarine sank an Iranian warship, the IRIS Dena, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 crew members, and with over 60 still missing, Sri Lankan authorities have said.
The vessel, which was invited by India to take part in the International Fleet Review and Exercise Milan-2026 in Visakhapatnam, was struck in international waters.
The Iranian frigate was returning from international naval exercises when it was struck by a torpedo in international waters on Wednesday, marking the first sinking of an enemy warship by a US submarine since World War II, the Pentagon said.
The Iranian warship likely did not detect the US submarine even at periscope depth.
The International Fleet Review, organised by the Indian Navy at its Eastern Command headquarters in Visakhapatnam, began on February 18.
The drills included anti-submarine warfare, air defence, maritime domain awareness and search-and-rescue operations.
IRINS Dena had arrived in Visakhapatnam on February 16 despite confirmation that the Indian Coast Guard was detaining three Iran-associated “dark fleet” tankers seized off Mumbai the previous week.
The US Navy had planned to send the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Pinckney, but its deployment was cancelled at short notice for undisclosed operational reasons.
The Indian government came under criticism for failing to condemn the US-Israeli air strikes on Iran.
Modi visited Israel last week, where he met his counterpart and addressed the Israeli parliament two days before Israel and the US launched strikes against Iran.
His trip coincided with Israel’s push to consolidate new strategic partnerships against what Israeli officials described as “radical axes” in the region, a framework widely understood to include Iran and its allied networks.
Netanyahu’s government has recently promoted the idea of a so-called “hexagon alliance” involving New Delhi.
The Pentagon has said one of the primary objectives of the US-Israeli attacks is to dismantle Iran’s naval capabilities.
