New Delhi | The Indian Navy on Thursday said it joined search and rescue operation after learning about a distress call from Iranian warship IRIS Dena which went down off the coast of Sri Lanka after being hit by a torpedo fired by a US submarine.
The Iranian warship was returning home after participating in the Milan multilateral naval exercise hosted by India. At least 87 Iranian sailors were killed in the attack, according to Sri Lankan authorities.
In a statement, the Indian Navy said it promptly launched its search and rescue (SAR) efforts with a long-range maritime patrol aircraft at 10 am on Wednesday 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 vicinity was deployed for aiding the rescue efforts and arrived in search area by 4 pm," it said.
"By this time search and rescue had been undertaken by Sri Lankan Navy and other agencies," it said.
The Indian Navy said a distress call from IRIS Dena was received at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCC) Colombo in the early hours of Wednesday as reported by the Sri Lankan Navy.
It said the Iranian ship was operating 20 nautical miles West of Galle in an area under Sri Lanka's responsibility.
"On receipt of the information, the Indian Navy promptly launched its SAR efforts commencing with a long-range maritime patrol aircraft at 1000 hours to augment the search efforts led by Sri Lanka," the Navy said.
It said 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.
Colombo | Sri Lanka on Thursday allowed a second Iranian ship to dock at the eastern port of Trincomalee and evacuated all 208 personnel on board, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, a day after another Iranian frigate was sunk near the island nation.
In a televised address, Dissanayake said the vessel, IRINS Bushehr, had sought permission to enter Sri Lankan waters, citing an engine failure.
“We wanted to remain neutral while dealing with a humanitarian response," he said, adding that Sri Lanka's role was limited to responding to a request from one party involved in the conflict.
“No one deserves to die. Every life is precious,” the President said.
He also criticised opposition parties for attempting to politicise the situation.
“We won't succumb to pressure. We will maintain our neutrality," Dissanayake said.
According to the President, the ship had 208 personnel on board, comprising 53 officers, 84 cadets, 48 senior sailors and 23 seamen, all of whom were evacuated after the ship was allowed to dock.
Earlier in the day, government spokesman and minister Nalinda Jayathissa had told Parliament that a second Iranian ship was waiting in Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coast of Panadura after seeking emergency assistance.
He was responding to a query by opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.
Jayathissa had said the government was deliberating on the appropriate course of action while seeking to safeguard lives and maintain regional stability.
Sri Lanka's territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles from its coastline and belong fully to the country. Further, from 12 to 200 nautical miles is the EEZ, where international maritime laws apply, but Sri Lanka mainly has rights related to economic activities, not military operations, he explained.
The ship, according to Jayathissa, awaits in EEZ close to the maritime boundary but out of its territorial waters.
The development comes a day after Sri Lanka on Wednesday said it had recovered 84 bodies of Iranian sailors killed after a US submarine attack sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off Galle, the island's southern coastal town.
The injured crew members rescued from the ship are currently receiving treatment in hospitals in Galle.
“They have lacerations, one of them has a leg fracture and another needs hip treatment,” a health official said on condition of anonymity.
The inquests on the 84 bodies of the perished Iranian sailors would be conducted on Thursday at the Karapitiya hospital in Galle, where the injured are receiving treatment.
The ship was returning home from Visakhapatnam in India after a naval fleet review exercise.
While the Sri Lankan Navy refused to give reasons as to what caused the vessel to make a distress plea, US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that it was a US submarine that sank the Iranian warship in international waters.
On Wednesday, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath had told Parliament that an emergency message was received by the Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard at 5:08 am regarding a sinking ship named IRIS Dena, located about 40 nautical miles off Galle.
Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson Commander Buddhika Sampath said, “We are only concerned about our obligation to rescue them as first responders under international maritime obligations.”
The US and Israel have launched a massive joint attack on Iran since February 28. The war has extended to almost the entire Gulf region with Iran's retaliation.
Mumbai | The US submarine, which sank an Iranian naval ship in the Indian Ocean amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, did not issue any prior warning and launched a sudden attack, causing the vessel to explode, an Iranian diplomat said on Thursday.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Saeid Reza Mosayeb Motlagh, Iran's Consul General in Mumbai, said the ship, 'IRIS Dena', had come to India for a naval exercise and was returning home after the drill when it was attacked.
When a ship comes for such exercises, it does not carry significant war ammunition. Whatever limited ammunition it may have had would typically be used during the exercise itself. Therefore, it can be said that this ship was practically without military ammunition, he explained.
An American submarine fired a torpedo to sink the Iranian frigate in international waters off Sri Lanka's southern coast on Tuesday. The vessel was returning from Visakhapatnam after taking part in the International Fleet Review.
"The American submarine did not issue any prior warning to this vessel and launched a sudden attack, causing the ship to explode. Unfortunately, around 100 people, perhaps even more, including our compatriots and brave Iranian soldiers, were martyred in this incident. The others were injured, and the necessary arrangements are currently being made to transfer them to Iran," Motlagh said.
Efforts have been made to facilitate their departure through the land borders by overlooking certain regulations, he maintained.
The IRIS Dena, one of Iran's newest warships, was a Moudge-class frigate that patrolled in deep waters. It was armed with heavy guns, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. The vessel carried one helicopter.
Sri Lanka's navy said on Wednesday it recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people from the sunken warship.
The envoy said when flight operations become possible at airports in Iran, his government will coordinate with Indian authorities to arrange special aircraft to evacuate Indian nationals from the West Asian country.
Motlagh dubbed the US-Israel "war" on the Islamic Republic as "unjust".
New Delhi | Iran's Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali on Thursday condemned the US for sinking an Iranian naval vessel in the Indian Ocean, calling it an “assassination” that violated international laws and vowed a strong retaliation by Tehran.
Speaking to PTI Videos here, Fathali said Iran would respond “very strongly” to the sinking of the frigate Dena, which he claimed was unarmed and returning after participating in peace duties.
“This ship was unarmed, and it was returning after taking part in peace duty. And this is very important, because I think that the United States and the Zionists want to disturb and destroy all the international laws," he said.
"You be sure, and we promise that Iran will respond to this strongly. We have announced several times that we rely on our faith and on the support of our people," Fathali added.
A US submarine fired a torpedo to sink the Iranian frigate Dena in international waters off Sri Lanka's southern coast on Tuesday. The vessel was returning from Visakhapatnam after taking part in the International Fleet Review.
The US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described it as the first such torpedo sinking of an enemy vessel since World War II.
"Some countries said they want to send some representative for negotiation, but we believe that any negotiation at this time is not useful for the region, and absolutely not for Iran because they started the war," Fathali said.
Fathali reiterated Iran's readiness for peace but emphasised its current state of war footing.
"We will prevail, and we will have victory. This is our stance on the United States and the Zionist regime. Up to now, we are in the condition of war, but the institutions in our country continue to work," he said.
He said Iran re-entered negotiations despite doubts about the other side's intentions.
Highlighting bilateral ties, the envoy said India and Iran share a strong cultural background and common interests in the region.
“We believe that we have a common interest in the region and we have common faith," he added.
Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said the central government’s response to the US attack on an Iranian ship, which had come to India for a joint military exercise, was “condemnable” and reflected “subservience to America.”
The Iranian warship IRIS Dena was torpedoed and sunk by a US submarine in international waters off Sri Lanka’s coast while returning after participating in the MILAN naval exercise, a multilateral naval wargame hosted by India.
In a statement issued by his office, the CM said the Indian government’s stance—that the vessel was not a guest of the country—was “condemnable”.
“It is nothing but a display of subservience to America. The incident that took place near our maritime zone is a serious violation of international etiquette. Such actions, which turn the Indian Ocean into a battlefield, challenge regional peace and security,” he said.
“The fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the central government led by him has not yet taken a clear stand on such serious issues is not the right approach,” Vijayan added.
The chief minister also said that the continuing military confrontation between the US-Israel axis and Iran was intensifying tensions in West Asia and posed a “threat to world peace and international stability.”
He further said that the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his family was a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, but there was “surprising inaction” on the part of the United Nations.
Vijayan said that many world leaders, including Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, have demanded an end to the military operations in West Asia.
However, when such issues arise globally, the United Nations—which is responsible for ensuring peace—appears to forget its basic objective, the CM contended.
He said India has traditionally given importance to peace and non-alignment since the post-independence era, and those opposed to wars “want the country to make active diplomatic interventions to prevent the conflict from escalating further and to find a peaceful solution.”
The tense situation in West Asia has the potential to affect the entire Gulf region, which could in turn impact the safety and well-being of lakhs of Malayali expatriates who earn their livelihood there, Vijayan said.
He said the central government should immediately ensure the protection of the lives and property of the expatriate community, which is closely linked to Kerala’s economy.
Vijayan said the Kerala government was closely monitoring the situation and had set up the necessary coordination and support mechanisms under the leadership of the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department (NORKA), which handles matters related to Non-Resident Keralites.
He added that members of the Loka Kerala Sabha, various expatriate organisations, prominent personalities and volunteers were engaged in relief efforts in coordination with Indian embassies in Gulf countries.
“In such situations, the spread of alarming news and unverified information can cause unnecessary concern. Therefore, unreliable information should not be circulated, and only official information should be relied upon,” the CM said.
He urged the international community to intervene urgently to restore peace and stability in the region and requested the Centre to play an active role in this regard.