There were no weapons on the Iranian warship that sank due to an attack by a US submarine in international waters near the coast of Sri Lanka. A senior Iranian official made this claim on Thursday (March 5, 2026).

He described the targeting of the ship as against international law. The Iranian ship ‘Iris Dena’ was returning home after participating in the Milan multilateral naval exercise organized by India when it was attacked in the early hours of Wednesday.

According to Sri Lankan officials, at least 87 Iranian sailors were killed in this attack. Iran’s Supreme Leader’s representative in India, Ayatollah Dr. Abdul Majeed Hakimelahi, said in an interview to PTI, ‘Targeting the Iranian ship is against international law, because they did not have any kind of weapons.’

He said, ‘They (Iranian sailors) came here for practice. After the exercise was over, they wanted to go back to Iran and were attacked by America. Hakimelahi said, ‘This is against humanity, morality and justice.’ On the current conflict, he said that Iran is defending itself.

Hakimelahi said, ‘We were in talks with America. In Oman we negotiated in good faith and we stuck to the negotiations. We did not leave the talks, but during the talks they (America) attacked us.

He admitted that many commanders were killed in the recent US-Israeli air strikes. The official said that hundreds of civilians including children have also been killed in these attacks. “They attacked a primary school, killing children aged seven to 12,” Hakimelahi said. At least 173 students have been killed.

He said, ‘Israel and America attacked Gandhi Hospital in Iran and took the lives of many children and infants. They are also killing our citizens in Tehran and Isfahan. Hakimelahi said, ‘They are attacking our citizens but the Iranian people will never tolerate humiliation and they will fight until the last drop of blood.’

The Indian Navy has started a search and rescue operation to save the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena which sank in the Indian Ocean. According to a Navy statement, the distress message from IRIS Dena was received by the Colombo-based Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) on the morning of March 4, after which the operation was launched. America has attacked Iranian warship with submarine.

The Iranian frigate is 20 nautical miles west of Galle, which falls under Sri Lanka’s search and rescue zone. As soon as the information was received, the Indian Navy immediately started the rescue operation.

Indian maritime patrol aircraft involved in operation
According to the Navy, a long range maritime patrol aircraft has been deployed at 10 am on March 4 to assist the search operations already underway under Sri Lanka and a second aircraft has been kept on standby to deal with any emergency. The training ship INS Tarangini, deployed in the nearby area, received orders for assistance and reached the search area by 4 pm the same day.

Survey ship INS Ikshak also left Kochi to support the operation. The ship is still searching for missing people and acting as humanitarian aid to those trapped in the shipwreck

America had attacked
Officials of the Indian Navy and Sri Lanka are working in mutual coordination. The incident occurred on March 4 when a US submarine targeted an Iranian frigate with torpedoes in international waters about 40 nautical miles off Galle, off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. The ship sent a distress message in the morning informing about the explosion, but it had sunk before Sri Lankan rescue ships could reach the spot. The attack took place about an hour away from the main naval base of Galle.
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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the action at the Pentagon, calling it a quiet death achieved by torpedoes. He said that this is an important expansion of the operations started by the joint attack on Iran by America and Israel.

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International tension has increased further after the Iranian warship IRIS Dena was sunk by a US submarine with a torpedo in the Indian Ocean. This ship was returning from naval exercises held in India. Iran has given a strong warning to America, calling this attack a serious attack carried out in international waters.

Iran’s Foreign Minister surrounded America
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi strongly condemned this attack. He said attacking an Iranian ship in international waters was a ‘major crime at sea’. He told that this ship was recently returning after participating in the program of Indian Navy and there were about 130 sailors on board. Araghchi warned that America would have to face “severe consequences” for such action.

Attack near Sri Lanka
According to the report, an American submarine targeted Iran’s frigate IRIS Dena with a torpedo in international waters. This attack took place in the Indian Ocean near the southern coast of Sri Lanka. It is being told that this ship was returning from a joint naval exercise held in India. This incident is also considered special because for the first time after the Second World War, America has sunk an enemy ship with torpedoes.

The ship was included in India’s naval program
IRIS Dena was a frigate class warship. It took part in the international naval event held in the Bay of Bengal from February 18 to 25. This program was part of MILAN 2026 and International Fleet Review, where navies of many countries of the world participated. The ship was returning from Visakhapatnam to Iran when it was attacked in international waters.

There is a possibility of huge loss in the attack
According to reports, around 80 people on board the ship may have died in this attack. Sri Lanka Navy has so far rescued about 30 sailors. The rescued people have been admitted to Karapitiya Hospital in Galle for treatment. It is being told that a video of the attack has also surfaced which has been shared by the US Defense Ministry. It was seen in the drone footage that the ship was moving normally in the calm sea. Then suddenly there was a massive explosion near the rear of the ship and a huge cloud of water, fire and debris arose.

Tension increased due to Iran-Israel conflict
This incident happened at a time when Israel and America carried out air strikes on Iran on 28 February. Many big leaders of Iran were targeted in these attacks, in which Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was also killed. Since then, Iran has carried out drone and missile attacks on many countries, especially those countries where American military bases are present. Due to this the entire Middle East region has come under tension.

Amidst the war in the Middle East, America targeted an Iranian warship, in which 87 people died. US Defense Minister Pete Hegseth said that this attack was carried out by an American submarine and the Iranian ship was their target. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told in Parliament that there were about 180 people on board this ship. The ship sank about 40 nautical miles off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. The ship had sent a message for help before sinking. This ship was to deliver Iran’s Mauj class frigate IRIS.

The US Defense Department also said that earlier another Iranian warship was also sunk near the Strait of Hormuz. IRIS Dena recently participated in the International Fleet Review 2026 held in India and naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal. This ship had also arrived at Visakhapatnam port two weeks ago and was welcomed by the Indian Navy.

https://t.co/PiqQpVIrMu pic.twitter.com/Wc1e0B0um7

— Department of War (@DeptofWar) March 4, 2026

Sri Lankan Navy and Air Force

Sri Lankan Navy and Air Force jointly conducted the rescue operation. So far 32 people have been rescued and many bodies have been pulled out from the sea. The injured are being treated at the government hospital in Galle city. The Sri Lankan Navy said that when its team reached the spot, only oil was visible there and the ship was not visible. The Sri Lankan Army said that the incident took place outside Sri Lankan territorial waters, but Sri Lanka still took the responsibility of helping. No other ship or aircraft was seen there at that time. Initially it was not clear how the ship sank, but later the US Defense Minister confirmed that the attack was carried out by an American submarine. After this statement it became clear that this was not a technical fault but a military action.

Khoshomadid! #IndianNavy welcomes IRIS Dena, a Moudge Class Frigate of the Iranian Navy at #Visakhapatnam, #Andhra Pradesh for participation in the Multilateral Naval Exercise #MILAN2024.

This is a reflection of our shared historical & cultural linkages. … pic.twitter.com/TTbWgqeuGM

— Eastern Naval Command (@IN_HQENC) February 19, 2024