NEW DELHI: An Iranian Navy frigate that had participated in the Indian Navy’s International Fleet Review and Exercise Milan in Visakhapatnam in mid-February, was struck by a torpedo fired by a US Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine in the Indian Ocean Region early Wednesday.
The attack happened uncomfortably close to India's maritime neighbourhood, amid the escalating conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.
"Yesterday, in the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo, quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II (sic)," US Defense Secretary Pete Heg-seth said on Wednes-day.
Torpedos were in play during the Falklands War in 1982 and the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
The vessel, IRIS Dena, issued a distress call south of Sri Lanka soon after the strike, triggering a search and rescue operation in which 32 injured sailors were evacuated from a crew of about 180. Around 87 have been confirmed dead, while dozens remain missing, pushing the potential toll to over 100.
The frigate was on its return voyage to Iran after participating in the naval engagements hosted by India when it reported the emergency at dawn.
It is learnt the vessel was scheduled to halt at Kochi for refuelling before beginning its onward passage westward towards the Persian Gulf.
The vessel was about 40 nautical miles south of Galle, just outside Sri Lanka's territorial waters, when it issued the distress call. The Sri Lanka Navy dispatched ships and aircraft, while the Sri Lanka Air Force joined the rescue effort to evacuate sailors from the vessel.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that the injured sailors were transported to various hospitals. Lankan Navy spokesperson, Buddhika Sampath further said the response was under the country's international maritime obligations.
"We responded to the distress call under our international obligations as this falls within Sri Lanka's Search and Rescue Area in the Indian Ocean," he said.
Responding to a query from the TNIE earlier, the US Embassy spokesperson in New Delhi had said the country's Navy destroyer USS Pinckney, an Arleigh Burke-class warship slated to participate in the IFR and Exercise Milan, did not attend the events due to emergent operational requirements. The US Navy instead deployed a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft for the engagements.
The Chief of the Iranian Navy, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, had also travelled to Visakhapatnam for the engagements, attending the IFR, the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs and Exercise Milan hosted by the Indian Navy.