Iranian warship sinks near Sri Lanka after suspected submarine strike

An Iranian naval frigate sank early Wednesday morning in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka’s southern coast after what officials say may have been a submarine attack, leaving more than 100 sailors missing and dozens injured, according to Sri Lankan authorities and officials familiar with the incident.

The vessel, the IRIS Dena, a Moudge-class frigate belonging to the Iranian Navy’s Southern Fleet, issued a distress call around 5.30 am local time while operating roughly 40 nautical miles off the coastal city of Galle, Sri Lankan defence officials told The Indian Express. Rescue operations by Sri Lanka’s navy and air force were underway throughout the morning.

The sinking occurred amid a rapidly escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. Military strikes launched by the United States and Israel on February 28 targeted Iranian military infrastructure and killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several senior officials, according to US and Israeli statements.

At least 30 sailors were rescued from the sinking ship and brought ashore, many in critical condition, according to two senior Sri Lankan government officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the incident. Many of the rescued sailors were suffering from severe injuries and distress due to the intense attack on the ship, and because they were in the water for a long time, they said.

The wounded were transported to Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle, the region’s largest medical facility, where emergency wards were placed on alert to receive casualties.

“We estimate that the frigate had approximately 180 sailors aboard at the time of the incident. We suspect that between 100 and 150 crew members were still unaccounted for as of Wednesday afternoon,” said a top government official in Colombo.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed in parliament that Sri Lanka had launched a rescue mission after receiving the distress call from the Iranian vessel. He said the ship was sinking just outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters but within the country’s designated search-and-rescue zone.

“We responded to the distress call under our international obligations,” Navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath told the media. Two naval ships and a surveillance aircraft were dispatched to assist with the rescue.

Officials did not publicly confirm the cause of the incident. But two senior Sri Lankan government officials said early information gathered from the scene suggested the warship may have been struck by a submarine-launched weapon.

“It appears consistent with a submarine strike,” one senior official said. “However, the specific submarine responsible has not been identified, and the investigation is ongoing.”

Another official said the government could neither confirm nor rule out the involvement of a United States submarine operating in the region. “The US Navy Ohio-class submarines routinely patrol the Indian Ocean from the American military base on Diego Garcia (a strategic island facility used for operations across the Middle East and Asia). We are examining sightings and maritime tracking data,” he said.

Iranian naval deployments in the region have been relatively rare. The IRIS Dena had been participating in diplomatic naval activities in the weeks before the incident. In February, the frigate attended the International Fleet Review in the Indian port city of Visakhapatnam, where it docked alongside ships from multiple countries. The Indian Navy had extended a warm welcome to the frigate as it arrived in Visakhapatnam in the third week of February.

The Moudge-class frigate, named after Mount Dena in southwestern Iran, is a domestically built warship designed for patrol and combat missions in regional waters. It displaces roughly 1,300 to 1,500 tons and carries a range of anti-ship missiles, naval guns and torpedo launchers. The ship also includes a helicopter landing pad and radar systems capable of tracking multiple targets.

A military analyst based in Chennai said the vessel would have been heavily armed, carrying Qader anti-ship missiles, a 76-millimetre naval gun and torpedo systems, among other weapons. Sri Lankan authorities said they were withholding video footage of the rescue operation because it involved the military assets of another country.

Opposition lawmakers in Sri Lanka’s parliament raised questions about whether the ship had been attacked as part of the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Israel. Government officials did not directly respond to the speculation.

Sri Lanka has maintained a policy of neutrality in international conflicts but occupies a strategically significant location along major shipping routes in the Indian Ocean. When contacted, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Herath was not available for comment.

The waters south of Sri Lanka lie near some of the world’s busiest maritime corridors linking Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Naval vessels from multiple countries, including the United States, China and India, regularly transit or patrol the region.

With more than half the crew still missing, officials warned that the final casualty toll could rise significantly in the coming days.