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Iris Dena sinking by US submarine also raises concerns for India: Sri Lanka MP
After US sank an Iranian warship near Sri Lanka, an Sri Lankan Msaid the incident shows how ongoing war is beginning to affect the wider Indian Ocean region
The sinking of an Iranian warship by a US submarine near Sri Lanka has raised concerns about the security of the wider Indian Ocean region, with a Sri Lankan lawmaker warning that the incident could also have implications for India. Sri Lankan Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa, speaking after a United States submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka, said the incident highlights how the ongoing war involving Iran is beginning to affect the wider Indian Ocean region.
“This is a serious concern for Sri Lanka and also the Indian Ocean, and I'm sure for India as well,” Rajapaksa told NDTV. “The war is happening miles away and we can see movements in the Indian Ocean just 40 nautical miles from the Gulf in Sri Lanka.”
The Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was sunk on Wednesday after a torpedo fired by a US submarine struck the vessel in international waters within Sri Lanka's search and rescue zone. Sri Lankan authorities said the navy recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 sailors after responding to a distress call from the ship.
Search operations are continuing for dozens of missing crew members.
The incident occurred roughly 40 kilometres south of the port city of Galle, far from the Persian Gulf where much of the current conflict between Iran and US-backed forces has been concentrated.
Questions for Colombo
Rajapaksa also questioned whether Sri Lanka's government had prior knowledge of the US military operation and said authorities must clarify the matter publicly.
“I think the government of Sri Lanka must answer to the people of Sri Lanka and to the rest of the world whether they were aware of this particular situation or this particular attack on this vessel or they were kept on guard,” he told NDTV.
“If they have been kept on guard then they have to bring this up with the relevant authorities and especially with the United States.”
He added that transparency was necessary if Colombo had been aware of military movements in waters close to Sri Lanka.
“And if not, if they were aware of this kind of movement in the Indian Ocean and also in the Sri Lankan economic zone or the EZ of the international waters, then the government must make sure that they inform this properly to the Sri Lankan people and also have a proper broader dialogue with the regional partners as well,” Rajapaksa told NDTV.
Call for regional dialogue
Rajapaksa said the development should prompt broader discussions among countries in South Asia, including India, about security in the Indian Ocean.
“This is something I believe the government of India and also the South Asian region has to come together and look at and take this particular incident very seriously,” he told NDTV.
He said the situation underscores how smaller nations can be affected by conflicts between larger powers.
“There are international laws and regulations that must be respected and each and every country's sovereignty must be respected and protected,” Rajapaksa told NDTV. “This is about the national security of the Indian Ocean and about Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, the regional part of the world, Pakistan.”
“So this is something that the region has to bring up together.”
Strike part of wider war
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that an American submarine carried out the strike on the Iranian warship, describing it as part of a broader campaign targeting Iran’s military capabilities.
“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing.
US officials said the strike forms part of the ongoing US-Israel military campaign against Iran, with Washington stating that weakening Tehran’s naval forces is among its key objectives.
