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India responded to distress call of Iran ship: Navy
05 Mar 2026

The Indian Navy on Thursday said it launched search and rescue operations for the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which sank in the Indian Ocean after being hit by a torpedo fired from a United States submarine.

The distress signal was received at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Colombo in the early hours of March 4, the Navy said.

The frigate was located 20 nautical miles west of Galle, within Sri Lanka's designated search and rescue area.

Search operations under Sri Lankan leadership
Rescue operations

After receiving the distress call, a long-range maritime patrol aircraft was deployed at 10:00am on March 4 to assist in ongoing search operations under Sri Lankan leadership.

Another aircraft, with airdroppable life rafts, was kept on standby for immediate deployment if needed.

INS Tarangini, a sailing training ship in the area, was also ordered to assist and reached the search area by 4:00pm.

By then, Sri Lankan Navy and other agencies had already started their search and rescue operations.

Vessel had issued distress call at dawn
Naval assistance

INS Ikshak, a survey vessel from Kochi, also joined the operation to help find missing personnel as part of humanitarian efforts for the shipwrecked crew.

The sinking of IRIS Dena took place on March 4 when a United States submarine torpedoed the ship in international waters about 40 nautical miles off Sri Lanka's southern coast.

The vessel had issued a distress call at dawn reporting an explosion but sank before Sri Lankan rescue ships could reach.

Iranian foreign minister terms attack 'atrocity at sea'
Frigate's return

The frigate was reportedly returning to Iran after participating in a military exercise at Visakhapatnam.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the incident an "atrocity at sea" on X, saying the ship with nearly 130 sailors onboard had been attacked without warning in international waters, 3,219 km from Iranian territory.

He termed IRIS Dena a "guest of India's navy" and cautioned that the United States would "bitterly regret" such a precedent.

US defense secretary calls it 'quiet death'
Official confirmation

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the torpedo attack at the Pentagon, calling it a "quiet death."

"An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo," Hegseth said.

As many as 87 people were killed in the attack.