Promptly responded to distress call from Iranian ship IRIS Dena, dispatched vessel for assistance: Indian Navy

Iranian warship IRIS Dena

• US submarine sank Iranian frigate IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka
• Indian Navy launched search and rescue for survivors
• Incident escalates US-Iran conflict in the Indian Ocean

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The Indian Navy launched search and rescue operations after receiving a distress signal from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which sank in the Indian Ocean after being struck by a torpedo from a United States submarine. Naval assets were deployed to the area to assist in locating and rescuing survivors following the incident.

Indian Navy issued a statement said that it launched a search and rescue operation after receiving a distress call from the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in the search and rescue region off Sri Lanka.

According to the Navy, the distress signal was received on March 4 from the vessel located about 20 nautical miles west of Galle. The Indian Navy immediately initiated search and rescue operations, deploying a long-range maritime patrol aircraft at 1000 hours while keeping another aircraft equipped with air-droppable life rafts on standby.

Naval ship INS Tarangini, which was operating nearby, reached the area by 1600 hours to assist with the rescue effort. Meanwhile, INS Ikshak sailed from Kochi to provide additional support.

The Indian Navy said coordination with Sri Lankan authorities is continuing as part of efforts to assist the shipwrecked personnel.

A US submarine on Wednesday torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in international waters off Sri Lanka's coast when it was returning after participating in the Milan naval exercise, a multilateral wargame hosted by India.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, confirming the strike, said at a Pentagon media briefing that it was the first sinking of an enemy warship by a torpedo since World War II. "An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters...Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo," Hegseth said.

The incident marks a major escalation of the conflict between the US and Iran outside of the Persian Gulf and throwing up questions relating to maritime security in the Indian Ocean that is largely considered as the backyard of the Indian Navy.

The Pentagon has also released a short video of the sinking of the Iranian frigate. The warship IRIS Dena is a Moudge-class frigate and had nearly 180 crew members on board.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said the military rescued 32 critically wounded sailors.

IRIS Dena was part of Indian Navy's premier multilateral maritime exercise Milan. The mega exercise last month saw participation of 42 warships and submarines that included 18 ships from friendly foreign countries. The warship had also featured in the International Fleet Review hosted by the Indian Navy in Vishakapatnam last month.

The US launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting Israel and American military bases in several Gulf countries including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

"In recent days, we have not only witnessed an intensification of the conflict but also its spread to other nations. The destruction and deaths have mounted, even as normal life and economic activities come to a halt," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.

"As a proximate neighbour with critical stakes in the security and stability of the region, these developments evoke great anxiety," it said.