Overview
- The Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was struck on March 4 roughly 40 nautical miles south of Sri Lanka, where authorities launched rescue operations after a distress call.
- Sri Lanka reported 32 survivors and 87 bodies recovered, while Iran said 130 sailors were aboard, highlighting conflicting casualty figures still being reconciled.
- The Pentagon released periscope video showing the torpedo strike and the ship’s sinking but did not identify the U.S. submarine involved.
- Iran denounced the attack and vowed revenge, as analysts pointed to a March 2 presidential directive on safeguarding navigation as part of Washington’s legal rationale.
- The vessel had recently joined India’s MILAN 2026 naval event, and experts say the strike widens the U.S.–Iran confrontation into the eastern Indian Ocean and recalls rare post–World War II submarine sinkings.