New Delhi, March 5 A day after a US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, the Indian Navy said on Thursday that it had deployed its long-range anti-submarine and maritime patrol aircraft to augment the search operation launched by Colombo to rescue the crew members of the frigate.
The Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, was returning home after participating in the Milan multilateral naval exercise hosted by India. At least 87 Iranian sailors were killed in the attack, which marked a major escalation in the conflict between the US and Iran outside the Persian Gulf.
In a statement, the Indian Navy said that the INS Tarangini, a three-masted barque-class vessel, was deployed to assist in the rescue efforts.
A distress call from IRIS Dena was received at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Colombo on Wednesday morning, as reported by the Sri Lankan Navy.
The warship was operating 20 nautical miles west of Galle in the area under Sri Lankan responsibility, the Indian Navy said, adding that it promptly launched its search and rescue (SAR) efforts with long-range maritime patrol aircraft at 10 am to augment the rescue operations led by Sri Lanka.
"Another aircraft with air-droppable life rafts was also kept standby for immediate deployment. INS Tarangini, which was operating in the area, was deployed to assist in the rescue efforts and arrived at the search area by 4 pm," it said.
"By this time, the Sri Lankan Navy and other agencies had already undertaken the search and rescue operations," it said.
The Navy said that another Indian naval ship, INS Ikshak, also sailed from Kochi to augment the search efforts and continues to remain in the area to search for missing personnel.
"Coordination with the Sri Lankan side on Search and Rescue efforts is ongoing," the Navy said.
Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi mentioned the sinking of the IRIS Dena.
"The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores. The frigate Dena, a guest of India's Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning," he said on social media.
"Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set," he said.
Hours after the attack on the warship, the Pentagon released a short video of the sinking of the Iranian frigate.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon media briefing on Wednesday that it was the first sinking of an enemy warship by a torpedo since World War II.
IRIS Dena was part of the Indian Navy's premier multilateral maritime exercise, Milan. The mega exercise last month saw participation of 42 warships and submarines, including 18 ships from friendly foreign countries.
The warship had also featured in the International Fleet Review hosted by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam last month.
Former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash described the US action as a "senseless" and "inflammatory act".
"The sinking of the Iranian warship off the southern tip of Sri Lanka, with heavy loss of life, is a senseless and inflammatory act. Initiating another dimension of violence in this open-ended conflict will spread alarm across the high seas and disrupt global seaborne commerce. It is condemnable," he said on social media.
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 series of attacks, mainly targeting Israel and American military bases in several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
In the last three days, the conflict has widened significantly with attacks and counter-attacks by both sides.
Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal said that the US has ignored India's sensitivities, as the Iranian ship was in these waters because of India's invitation.
"I am told that as per protocol for this exercise, ships cannot carry any ammunition. It was defenceless. The Iranian naval personnel had paraded before our President," he said.
"The attack by the US submarine was premeditated, as the US was aware of the Iranian ship's presence in the exercise to which the US navy was invited but withdrew from participation at the last minute, presumably with this operation in mind," he said on X.
