The U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran has expanded to the Indian Ocean after an American submarine sank an Iranian warship in international waters near Sri Lanka, NPR and regional officials reported.
Sri Lankan authorities said they received a distress call and dispatched ships and aircraft to the area, recovering more than 80 bodies and rescuing more than 30 survivors; others remain missing. Within hours, U.S. defense officials announced the vessel was the IRIS Dena, one of Iran’s newest warships, and said it was struck by a torpedo.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the attack as “a torpedo. Quiet death,” calling it the first sinking of an enemy ship by torpedo since World War II.
The incident has raised alarm across South Asia. The sinking occurred close to Sri Lanka and near India’s southeastern tip, prompting questions about whether Sri Lanka or India were notified in advance. Sushant Singh, a lecturer in South Asian studies at Yale and a former Indian military officer, said there was no evidence either government had been informed, a concern given India’s working relations with Tehran and its recent restraint after Iran’s leadership was attacked earlier in the week.
Complicating regional sensitivities, the Iranian vessel had earlier participated in a ceremonial fleet review at an Indian port in late February, overseen by India’s president and defense minister. Videos posted by India’s defense minister at the time celebrated the event as a demonstration of navies “coming together for peace.”
India has so far not publicly commented on the sinking. Sri Lanka’s government has urged peace and emphasized it does not want to become a casualty of the broader conflict.
Analysts note the incident will also reverberate with China, which seeks greater influence in the Indian Ocean. If a U.S. submarine is operating and striking targets in these waters, it signals Washington’s willingness to project power in a region Beijing values, observers say.
The attack underscores how the confrontation involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran is spreading beyond the Middle East and into critical sea lanes, raising risks for regional security and prompting fresh diplomatic and strategic tensions.
Diaa Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai.
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