Iranian frigate sunk near Sri Lanka was returning from India war games

The Iranian warship sunk by a US submarine near Sri Lanka had just participated in naval exercises hosted by India and was sailing through international waters in the Indian Ocean on its way home when it was attacked, officials said.

The frigate IRIS Dena had participated in the International Fleet Review and the multilateral naval exercise MILAN 2026 organised by the Indian Navy in the eastern port city of Visakhapatnam from February 15 to February 25, according to India’s defence ministry.

The vessel was sailing home through international waters when it was struck by a torpedo off Sri Lanka’s southern coast on Wednesday — a rare instance of a submarine attack on a warship since World War II.

Sri Lanka’s navy said it responded to a distress signal from the Dena but by the time rescue vessels reached the area there was no sign of the ship, only oil slicks and sailors floating in the water.

Rescue teams recovered 84 bodies and rescued 32 sailors, who were taken to a hospital in the southern city of Galle. Earlier figures had placed the death toll at 87 before being revised downward by hospital authorities.

Navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath said search operations were continuing for missing sailors. Sri Lanka had earlier indicated that about 180 people were aboard when the ship was struck.

Medical staff said the rescued sailors were being treated under tight security. “Most of them have minor injuries, but there were a few with fractures and burns,” a nurse at the hospital said.

Authorities in Galle have begun a judicial inquest into the deaths, with chief magistrate Sameera Dodangoda ordering autopsies on the recovered bodies. Additional refrigerated containers were being rushed to the hospital to store the remains.

Meanwhile, a second Iranian warship carrying more than 100 crew was approaching Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, according to Sri Lanka’s media minister Nalinda Jayatissa. Officials said the vessel had requested permission to enter the island’s waters, fearing it could also be targeted.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held meetings with senior officials to discuss how Sri Lanka should respond to the request.

The incident has also sparked political debate in India, where the Dena had recently taken part in naval exercises involving 74 countries.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denounced the attack, accusing Washington of committing “an atrocity at sea”.

“The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores. Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning,” he posted on X.

“Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set.”

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the Dena as a “prize ship,” saying the sinking illustrated how the US-Israeli military operation against Iran was expanding beyond the Middle East. US President Donald Trump has previously said one of the objectives of the war is to wipe out Iran’s navy.

A video released by the US Department of Defense appeared to show the moment of the torpedo strike, with an underwater explosion breaking the ship apart and sending a plume of water into the air.

In India, opposition leaders questioned the government’s silence over the incident.

Kanwal Sibal, a former Indian foreign secretary, said New Delhi was not responsible for the attack but still had a moral stake because the ship had been invited to the exercise.

“The U.S. has ignored India’s sensitivities,” Sibal said. “The ship was in these waters because of India’s invitation.”

- with inputs from AFP