An Iranian warship, the IRIS Dena, was sunk by a US submarine in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka, shortly after participating in naval exercises hosted by India. The incident, which saw 87 bodies recovered and 32 Iranian sailors rescued by the Sri Lankan navy, marks a rare instance of a submarine torpedoing a vessel since the Second World War.
New Delhi confirmed the warship's involvement in its exercises before it headed home, and the sinking has intensified scrutiny on the escalating US-Israeli conflict with Iran, demonstrating its widening geographical scope. It has also ignited a significant debate within India regarding maritime security in the strategically vital Indian Ocean, where the nation maintains a substantial naval presence.
