Of 180 member crew, 30 rescued by Sri Lanka Navy

Iran warship IRIS Dena (F75), returning home after participating in the Indian International Fleet Review, and MILAN 2026 international naval exercises, has been sunk off Sri Lanka. The US, Russia and Iran were among 74 participants.

Speculation is rife that the US attacked the vessel in international waters as part of the continuing offensive action under Operation Epic Fury, launched on 28 February. Before the attack in the Indian ocean, President Trump declared that the Iranian Navy Headquarters and nine Navy vessels had been destroyed.

The ill-fated Moudge-class frigate participated in the Indian exercises with the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG-91) and the Marshal Shaposhnikov, a Udaloy-class frigate of the Russian Navy. Sri Lanka also participated in the exercises. SLNS Sagara and Israeli built Fast Missile Vessel Nandimithra represented Sri Lanka. Forty two warships and submarines and 29 aircraft had been involved.

At the time of the attack, the domestically built vessel was crewed by 180 officers and men.

The US Embassy here did not respond to The Island media query whether the US sank IRIS Dena . The Island was unable to get in touch with Iranian Ambassador in Colombo Alireza Delkhosh though he earlier indicated his availability later in the day.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, told the Parliament yesterday that the Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Air Force had acted in less than an hour of receiving the distressed signal at 5.08 am.

According to the Minister, the first naval craft was dispatched by 6 am, followed by a second vessel at 7 am, while Air Force units joined the mission, including the deployment of a surveillance aircraft to support search operations.

Approximately 180 personnel were believed to have been on board the stricken vessel. Of them, around 30 were reported to be in critical condition.

“To save the lives of those 30 persons, we intervened immediately,” Minister Herath said, adding that the rescued crew members were being transported to Karapitiya Hospital for urgent medical treatment. Some had already arrived by the time of his statement.

SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa asked whether the Iranian ship had been attacked within Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Responding to questions raised by Opposition MPs, including NDF Badulla District MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, who alleged that the Iranian vessel may have been struck in Sri Lankan waters, the Minister said the ship had been outside Sri Lanka’s maritime boundary when it issued the distress call.

MP Dassanayake queried whether the frigate had been hit as part of the ongoing military escalation involving the United States and Israel against Iran. There was no immediate confirmation from the government regarding the cause of the emergency.

Minister Herath stressed that Sri Lanka’s intervention was guided solely by humanitarian considerations and international obligations.

“We are bound by the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) of 1979, which we have signed,” he told Parliament.

Under the convention, a signatory state is required to respond to maritime emergencies, regardless of nationality, the cause of the incident, or whether it occurs beyond its own territorial waters.

“According to this convention, if a vessel, or its crew, encounters danger beyond our territorial limits, we are obligated to intervene and protect those lives on humanitarian grounds,” Minister Herath said, adding Sri Lanka had acted immediately to prevent loss of life and had taken all urgent and necessary measures as a responsible state.

The Minister noted that the incident highlighted broader regional security vulnerabilities in maritime safety amid escalating tensions in the region. “A regional military situation would also have an impact on our country. The government’s position is that a negotiated solution must be pursued,” he said.

He also disclosed that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had held a telephone discussion on Tuesday night with the leadership of the United Arab Emirates regarding the evolving regional situation.

Rescue operations were continuing at the time of going to press.

By Saman Indrajith and Shamindra Ferdinando