• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. US submarine sank Iranian warship IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka.
  2. India faces uproar for not protecting the Iranian warship.
  3. Experts say India not responsible; incident in international waters.

Hours after a US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, the Indian government has been facing massive uproar in the country for not protecting the warship. Senior Opposition leaders took to their social media platforms to question the silence over the latest US airstrike in the backyard of India.

Here's how the event unfolded

The Iranian warship IRIS Dena, a frigate from Iran's Southern Fleet, arrived in Visakhapatnam, India, on February 16, 2026. It joined the International Fleet Review (IFR) and the big multinational naval exercise called MILAN-2026. The Indian Navy gave it a warm welcome. They tweeted: "Indian Navy welcomes IRIS Dena of the Iranian Navy on her arrival at Visakhapatnam... reflecting long-standing cultural links between the two nations."

About 74 countries took part in the exercise (MILAN-2026), but the US was not one of them. The US Navy's destroyer USS Pinckney was supposed to join but pulled out at the last minute. The exercise ended on February 25.

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Just three days later, on February 28, the US and Israel began major strikes on Iran, starting a full war that has now spread across the Middle East.

IRIS departs Indian Naval base on March 4

On March 4, while the IRIS Dena was sailing back home to Iran, a US submarine attacked it with a torpedo in the Indian Ocean, off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. The ship sank quickly. Sri Lanka's navy responded to a distress call. They recovered at least 87 bodies from the sea and took 32 injured crew members to the hospital for treatment.

Can India be held responsible for the sinking?

No, experts and retired military officers say India cannot be blamed. The attack happened in international waters, far outside India's territory or exclusive economic zone (EEZ). India has no control or duty to protect ships there. The Iranian ship did not ask India for any help, escort, or protection during its return journey.

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Defence expert Sandeep Unnithan told India Today: "India was nowhere at fault... They (Iranian crew) didn't ask for any help, escort or protection." He added that the captain knew Iran was at war and could have asked to stay in an Indian port for safety, but did not. Hosting a ship for an exercise does not mean India must guard it forever after it leaves.

Retired Lt General DP Pandey agreed: The Indian Navy's responsibility ends when a foreign ship leaves India's territorial waters. "Their country is at war. They should have stayed in the shelter of India."

Since the sinking was near Sri Lanka's EEZ (not India's), it gives India even more reason to stay out of direct blame. India hosted the ship as a guest for a peaceful, routine naval event open to many nations. This does not make India responsible for what happened later in an active war zone between the US and Iran.

(With inputs from agency)


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