Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday has warned that the United States will “bitterly regret" its action after a US submarine struck an Iranian naval vessel near Sri Lanka.
In a post on X, Araghchi said the United States had carried out “an atrocity at sea" far from Iran’s shores. He stated that the frigate Dena, carrying nearly 130 sailors and a guest of the Indian Navy, was attacked in international waters without warning.
The Iranian Navy frigate IRIS Dena was sunk in the early hours of March 4, about 40 nautical miles south of Galle, Sri Lanka. The incident marks the first major naval casualty of the US-Israel-Iran war in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean, signalling what intelligence sources described as a dangerous spillover into India’s maritime region.
The vessel was returning home using a standard westward route after taking part in India’s MILAN 2026 multinational naval exercise and International Fleet Review in Visakhapatnam weeks earlier.
Sri Lankan Navy and Defence Ministry sources described the incident as a classic submarine torpedo attack. Distress calls between 5:08 am and 5:30 am local time reported a massive underwater explosion that caused severe hull damage and rapid flooding. The ship disappeared from radar and sank within minutes.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that an American submarine carried out the strike, saying the warship was sunk by a torpedo.
Hospital authorities in Galle said 87 bodies were brought ashore by rescuers responding to the distress call. Another 32 sailors were rescued and taken to hospital, while about 60 people remained unaccounted for from an estimated 180 on board.
Sri Lanka launched a search-and-rescue operation after receiving the emergency signal. Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said rescue teams found survivors floating in the water and provided assistance despite the incident occurring outside Sri Lankan waters.
Bodies were transported in batches to Karapitiya Hospital in Galle, where they were moved to the morgue. Survivors, including the ship’s commander and senior officers, told Sri Lankan authorities the vessel had been hit by a submarine attack.
The warship had participated in the MILAN naval exercise organised by India in the Bay of Bengal between February 18 and 25. The Indian Navy had earlier welcomed IRIS Dena to Visakhapatnam, describing the visit as reflecting long-standing cultural links between India and Iran.
The sinking occurred hundreds of miles from the Gulf region, where US and Israeli forces are conducting strikes on Iran while Tehran continues missile and drone retaliation.
Source: News18