‘Why was it made to wait?’ Sri Lankan MP on delay as US sub sinks Iranian warship, killing 87

Sri Lankan MP questions delay before US sub sinks Iranian warship, 87 dead

Sri Lankan opposition MP Mujibur Rahman claimed in Parliament that the government took 11 hours to respond to a request from the Iranian warship IRIS Dena to dock at Galle Port, questioning why it was not allowed to berth earlier.

"Why'd we allow... ship to wait for 11 hours?... Why didn't we allow... [it] to berth at Galle port?" Rahman said during the parliamentary session.

The remarks came after a United States submarine sank the Iranian frigate off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, killing dozens of sailors and escalating Washington’s campaign against Iran’s naval forces.

Sri Lanka’s deputy foreign minister said the warship, identified as the IRIS Dena, was returning to Iran from an eastern Indian port when it was attacked.

"An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters," US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the Pentagon. "Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death."

Hospital officials in Galle said 87 bodies were brought in by military rescuers responding to an early morning distress call. Authorities added that 32 sailors were rescued and are being treated in a hospital, while around 60 others remain missing from an estimated crew of 180 aboard the vessel.

The website of the ‘Milan’ biennial multilateral naval exercise hosted by India listed the Iranian warship IRINS Dena among the vessels that participated in the drill, which took place in the Bay of Bengal off India’s eastern coast.

The prefix IRIS, meaning Islamic Republic of Iran Ship, is the commonly used designation for Iranian naval vessels, while IRINS, or Islamic Republic of Iran Naval Ship, is occasionally used in official references.

“Indian Navy welcomes IRIS Dena, of the Iranian Navy, on her arrival at #Visakhapatnam ... reflecting long-standing cultural links between the two nations,” the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy said in a post on X on February 17, along with pictures of the warship and some of its officers.

An Indian Navy spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment following the sinking of the Dena.