Iranian warship sunk by the US was sailing home after taking part in an exhibition hosted by India

Updated 12:10 PM CST, March 5, 2026

GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) � An Iranian warship that was sunk by a U.S. submarine near Sri Lanka had participated in naval exercises hosted by India before heading out into international waters in the Indian Ocean on its way home, New Delhi said.

The sinking underscored the scope of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and its spread in the Middle East and beyond. It also ignited a debate in India about maritime security in the Indian Ocean � a region where New Delhi maintains a significant naval presence.

On Wednesday, Sri Lanka�s navy recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 Iranian sailors from the IRIS Dena, which sank in international waters off the coast of the island nation � a rare instance of a submarine torpedoing a ship since World War II.

Sri Lanka�s navy said it had responded to a distress signal from the IRIS Dena, but by the time it reached the location, there was no sign of the ship, just patches of oil and sailors floating in the water. The rescued mariners were taken to a hospital in the town of Galle, on Sri Lanka�s southern coast.

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https://apnews.com/article/iran-warship-iris-dena-india-14916ad657e50f048bbeb42b38224ecb


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Modi criticised for silence over US sinking of Iranian ship returning from Indian naval exercises

The vessel, which was carrying an estimated 182 crew members, sank about 40km off Sri Lanka’s coast near Galle in what the US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described as a “quiet death”. At least 32 injured sailors were rescued by the Sri Lankan navy and air force after the ship sent distress calls.

The deadly strike in international waters on India's doorstep, on a vessel that media reports said was “unarmed”, has drawn sharp criticism of New Delhi, which plays a dominant role in securing navigation in the Indian Ocean.

“The Iranian ship will not be where it was if we had not invited it to take part in our Milan exercise. We were the hosts,” Kanwal Sibal, an Indian former diplomat, said on X. “The US has ignored India’s sensitivities as the ship was in these waters because of India’s invitation,” he said.

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https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/asia/2026/03/06/modi-criticised-for-silence-over-us-sinking-of-iranian-ship-returning-from-indian-naval-exercises/