Tel Aviv: The US is expanding the scale of its operations against Iran. A US Navy submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s southern coast in international waters of the Indian Ocean.
The attack occurred early on March 4, 2026 marking the first confirmed US torpedo sinking of an enemy warship since World War II.
Sri Lanka’s navy responded to a distress call at 5:08 am, rescuing 32 Iranian sailors and recovering multiple bodies.
The site was about 40-44 nautical miles from Galle, outside territorial waters but in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone, leaving an oil slick and life rafts.
IRIS Dena, Iran’s newest frigate with missiles and torpedo capabilities, had recently joined a multinational exercise near India before the strike.
The sinking of the Iranian ship has escalated the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict, following US strikes on 17+ Iranian vessels.
Launched in 2015, and commissioned in 2021, IRIS Dena displaced around 1,500 tonnes with a length of 95 metres, beam of 11.1 metres, and top speed of 30 knots from four diesel engines. It featured a helipad for Bell 212 helicopters, Asr 3D PESA radar with a 300 km range, and electronic warfare systems.
Weapons included a 76 mm Fajr-27 gun, 40 mm Fath-40 AA cannon (Bofors-derived), 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, 12.7 mm machine guns, four Qader/Noor anti-ship missiles, Sayyad-2 SAMs, and two triple 324 mm torpedo tubes for anti-submarine roles. Defensive chaff launchers supported multi-target engagement.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
