Indian Navy dispatched a vessel to assist an Iranian warship that was sinking near Sri Lanka
The Indian Navy began search and rescue operations after receiving a distress call from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which sank in the Indian Ocean following a torpedo strike from a United States submarine.
The Indian Navy launched a search and rescue operation following a distress call from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which sank in the Indian Ocean after being hit by a torpedo from a United States submarine.
According to a Navy statement, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Colombo received a distress call from the IRIS Dena on the morning of March 4.
The frigate was positioned 20 nautical miles west of Galle, in the Sri Lankan search and rescue area of responsibility.
Upon receiving the information, the Indian Navy immediately launched its rescue efforts.
According to the Navy, a long-range maritime patrol aircraft was deployed at 1000 hours on March 4 to assist the search operation already underway under Sri Lankan leadership. A second aircraft, equipped with air-droppable life rafts, was placed on standby for immediate deployment if required.
INS Tarangini, a sailing training ship operating nearby, received orders to assist and arrived in the search area by 1600 hours the same day. By that time, the Sri Lankan Navy and other agencies had commenced search and rescue operations.
INS Ikshak, a survey vessel, departed from Kochi to reinforce the operation. It remains in the area to search for missing persons as part of humanitarian assistance provided by the crew who survived the sinking.
Coordination between the Indian Navy and Sri Lankan authorities is ongoing.
The ship sank on March 4 when a US submarine torpedoed the IRIS Dena in international waters, about 40 nautical miles from Galle, off Sri Lanka’s southern coast.
The ship issued a distress call early in the morning, reporting an explosion, but by the time Sri Lankan rescue vessels arrived, it had sunk. The attack occurred about an hour from Galle’s main naval base.
The frigate was returning to Iran after participating in a military exercise in Visakhapatnam.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a post on X, described the incident as “an atrocity at sea” and said that the ship, carrying approximately 130 sailors, was attacked without warning in international waters, 2,000 miles from Iran’s shores. He called the IRIS Dena a “guest of the Indian Navy” and warned that the US would “deeply regret” setting such a precedent.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the action at the Pentagon, describing it as a “quiet death” achieved by torpedoes.
He said this represents a major escalation of operations in the ongoing conflict, which began with a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran and has spread beyond the Middle East.
Sri Lanka has maintained neutrality in the conflict and has repeatedly called for a negotiated solution. Iran remains a major buyer of Sri Lankan tea, the island’s main export.
A second Iranian warship approached Sri Lankan waters today. The ship was identified as the IRIS Bushehr, carrying approximately 300 crew and cadets.
