32 Sailors of 150 on Sinking Iranian Warship Rescued By Sri Lankan Navy

Sri Lanka has rescued 32 critically wounded sailors from the Iranian naval frigate IRIS Dena after the vessel sank early Wednesday about 40 nautical miles south of Galle, just outside the island’s territorial waters, according to Sri Lankan media citing authorities.

The Iranian warship is supected to have been torpedoed by a U.S. Submarine that was shadowing it since it left the Indian port of Vishakapatnam where it participated in a fleet review.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that the 180-crew frigate issued a distress call at dawn before going down. “The injured sailors are being transported to hospitals in southern Sri Lanka,” Herath said, confirming that those rescued were being taken to the main hospital in Galle, about 115 km south of Colombo, for medical attention.

Sri Lanka’s defence ministry said two navy vessels and an aircraft were deployed for the rescue operation, with the Sri Lanka Air Force joining efforts to evacuate sailors. Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara said the navy and air force were conducting a joint rescue mission to assist the crew.

Navy spokesperson Buddhika Sampath said the operation was conducted under international maritime obligations. “We responded to the distress call under our international obligations as this falls within Sri Lanka’s Search and Rescue Area in the Indian Ocean,” he was quoted as saying by AFP.

Police increased security outside the Galle hospital as the injured sailors were brought ashore. Both the Sri Lanka Navy and Air Force said they were not releasing footage of the rescue because it involved the military of another state.

There was no immediate information on the cause of the incident. In Parliament, an opposition legislator asked whether the vessel had been bombed amid ongoing U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, but the government did not provide a response.

The IRIS Dena had participated in the Indian Navy’s International Fleet Review (IFR) and the multinational Exercise Milan in Visakhapatnam in mid-February before beginning its return voyage to Iran. The engagements were attended by foreign naval forces, including senior Iranian naval officials.

The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Pinckney did not attend the events due to emergent operational requirements, with a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft deployed instead. It remains unclear whether the Iranian frigate was being shadowed by USS Pinckney or if a U.S. Navy submarine operating from Diego Garcia was involved at the time of the incident.

IRGC Claims Missile Strike On U.S. Destroyer in Indian Ocean

Iran’s IRGC said it struck a U.S. destroyer with Qadr 380 and Talaiyeh missiles while the vessel was refueling from a U.S. tanker about 650 km off Iran’s coast in the Indian Ocean.

The Russian Arms Telegram channel shared NASA infrared satellite data showing a possible fire near an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer off India’s coast, with a thermal anomaly detected in the same area. Iran claimed the missile strike set the warship on fire.

According to the satellite image, the U.S. destroyer appears to be very close to Indian territory, which would place it at a distance significantly greater than 650 km from Iran.