Chicago – March 05, 2026
An Iranian warship sunk by a U.S. submarine near Sri Lanka was returning home after taking part in an Indian-hosted naval exhibition, Indian officials have confirmed.
The IRIS Dena, a frigate-class vessel, had just concluded participation in the International Fleet Review and multilateral naval exercise MILAN 2026, organized by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam from February 15 to 25, an event that drew warships from 74 countries.
The ship departed India and sailed into international waters in the Indian Ocean when it was struck and sunk, in one of the rare instances of a submarine destroying a surface warship since World War II.
Sri Lanka’s navy said it responded to a distress call but found only oil slicks and sailors in the water, with survivors taken to hospital in the southern city of Galle. Iranian officials stressed that the frigate had been a guest of the Indian Navy, while New Delhi has yet to issue an official public statement on the incident.
Source: AP news
