US Torpedoes Iranian Warship Near Sri Lanka, Sparking Regional Security Alarm

Speaking to ANI, Harsha de Silva, MP, Chair of the Committee on Public Finance of the Parliament in Sri Lanka, said, "This is something that we had not anticipated. The ship was at an international fleet review in Visakhapatnam. From what we understand, we got a distress call, and then the Sri Lankan Navy and the Air Force responded to this distress call. And when they got there, they saw some people floating. They rescued 30 or so and subsequently brought to show some 80 dead sailors, and that's what happened."

On March 4, 2026, the IRIS Dena, an Iranian Moudge-class frigate, was sunk by a US Navy submarine in international waters approximately 40 nautical miles off the coast of Galle, Sri Lanka. The vessel was carrying an estimated 180 crew members. Sri Lankan naval forces rescued 32 survivors and recovered 87 bodies. Many others remain missing.

The ship had just departed India after participating in the International Fleet Review (IFR) and the MILAN 2026 naval exercise in Visakhapatnam (concluded February 25) when it was struck by a US torpedo, described as the "first such attack on an enemy since World War II" by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

Sri Lanka's Navy and Air Force responded to the distress call, rescuing 32 sailors and recovering 87 bodies. Meanwhile, a second Iranian ship, IRIS Bushehr, was allowed to dock in Colombo for humanitarian reasons, with its crew seeking refuge.

"We did what we had to do, and then subsequently we got to know there was a second ship that was seeking our approval to come into our waters because the first one was just outside the sovereign territory. This one was seeking approval, and from what I understand, the government spoke to all parties necessary and decided to let the ship in to let the sailors get off at Colombo and take the ship into custody in Trincomalee," he said.

Silva expressed concerns about the incident occurring so close to Sri Lankan waters, emphasising the impact on regional maritime sovereignty and security.

"The Indian Ocean has always been a peaceful place. We need a rules-based order and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific. We have sovereign control of 12 nautical miles and the contiguous area going up to uh 200 nautical miles, which is the exclusive economic zone," he said.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran Ship (IRIS) Lavan, which took part in the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026, has docked in Kochi after developing technical issues, according to sources in the Government of India.

Sources said India had been approached by Iran days before the IRIS Dena incident south of Sri Lanka. The ship was in the region as part of the Iranian naval presence for the International Fleet Review and MILAN 2026, which took place from February 15 to February 25.

The request from Iran was received on February 28, seeking urgent docking support for the vessel due to technical problems.

"This request was received on 28 February 2026, indicating that a docking at Kochi was urgent as the vessel had developed technical issues," the sources said. The joint strikes by the US and Israel on Iran were also initiated on February 28.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, speaking at the Raisina Dialogue 2026, described the decision as "purely humane," stating that the ship and its young crew were simply "caught on the wrong side of events" as the geopolitical situation shifted overnight.

- ANI