New Delhi, March 04: An Iranian warship returning from India’s International Fleet Review has sunk off Sri Lanka’s coast following a suspected submarine attack, leaving 101 sailors missing and 32 critically injured among the 78 rescued.
However, the exact number of casualties is still under the scanner as authorities continue search and rescue efforts. The sinking of the Iranian ship has raised concerns about maritime security in the Indian Ocean and the impact of war on energy shipping routes.
Last month, the Indian Navy hosted the International Fleet Review and multinational maritime exercise “Milan” off the eastern coast of Visakhapatnam, in which navies from 74 countries participated. The Iranian frigate IRIS Dena also participated in the fleet review, accompanied by warships from the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and dozens of other countries. Indian President Draupadi Murmu reviewed the fleet. Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani held talks with Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi on strengthening maritime security cooperation.
The US Navy was scheduled to send the guided missile destroyer USS Pinckney to participate in this international event, but canceled at the last minute. The reason given was that if war broke out with Iran during the fleet review, it would have been embarrassing to have Pinckney deployed with IRIS Dena. However, on February 28, three days after the event concluded on February 25, the US and Israel launched “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran. The fighting has now intensified, and the number of airstrikes against each other is steadily increasing.
The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath stated that at 5:08 am local time this morning, when the Iranian frigate Dena was approximately 40 nautical miles south of Sri Lanka, the crew reported the sinking of the 180-member frigate. Two navy vessels and an aircraft were subsequently deployed. The operation has so far rescued 32 of the 180 sailors on board, who are admitted to Karapitiya Hospital in critical condition. At least 101 people are missing after the submarine attack on the Iranian ship.
Herath mentioned an explosion as the cause of the accident, but did not provide a reason. Various speculations are circulating about the cause, but there has been no immediate response from the government.
The Iranian ship, Dena, is a 1,300- to 1,500-ton frigate, 94 meters long, and equipped with anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, and domestically produced engines. It was the first Iranian warship with a vertical launching system. It was not a coastal patrol boat; it was Iran’s most modern surface combatant class. If the accident was caused by a US attack, it means that the war has spread 4,000 kilometers from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. If it was an accident, a warship transiting the war zone has suffered a catastrophic failure at the worst possible time. Sri Lankan Navy ships are engaged in rescue operations, as efforts continue to locate and assist those still at sea.-