Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 5: Iran launched a new wave of attacks Thursday morning at Israeli and American bases and threatened that the United States would “bitterly regret” torpedoing an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean as a second Iranian warship was heading towards Sri Lanka a day after a US submarine destroyed the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, killing 87 sailors.
Sri Lankan minister Nalinda Jayatissa confirmed the ship was just outside the country’s territorial waters. The vessel is reportedly carrying more than 100 crew members. Sources said there was fear that the ship could be targeted in the same manner as its sister ship, which was sunk off Sri Lanka’s southern coast on Wednesday. “We are doing our utmost to safeguard lives,” Jayatissa said.
The warship has reportedly requested an urgent port call. Sri Lankan MP Namal Rajapaksa said the warship was awaiting government clearance. “The government must immediately reveal what its stance is on this matter,” he posted on X. The US navy sank Iranian warship[ IRIS Dena, killing 87 Iranian sailors while at least 10 more are still missing, which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi decried Thursday as “an atrocity at sea.” The warship had participated in a naval exercise in India just weeks ago.
In Tehran’s first official acknowledgment of the incident, Araghchi said the warship – which he described as “a guest of India’s Navy” carrying nearly 130 sailors – was struck without warning by a US submarine in international waters and warned that the United States would “bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”
Sources within the Indian government, however, said the warship and its crew were not their guests after leaving on February 25. The sinking, which Sri Lankan authorities say left at least 84 sailors dead while 32 survivors were rescued and taken to hospital in Galle, marks a dramatic expansion of the conflict far beyond the Gulf.
As rescue operations continue for dozens still missing, the incident has intensified hostilities across the Middle East, with Iran launching fresh attacks on Israeli and US bases while Israel says it has begun a “large-scale” wave of strikes targeting Tehran.
Sri Lanka also said it was trying to “safeguard lives” on a second Iranian ship. Government spokesman and minister Nalinda Jayathissa was responding on Thursday to a query by the main opposition leader, Sajith Premadasa, in Parliament about the second Iranian ship, located off Panadura, outside Colombo. “We are aware of it and are contemplating action to safeguard all lives on board,” Jayathissa said. “We are intervening to resolve this issue to safeguard regional peace.” President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, along with the Security Council and the government, are making the necessary interventions to resolve the issue, minimise the loss of life, and protect regional peace, he said.
The ship, according to Nalinda Jayathissa, awaits in Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) close to the maritime boundary. Sources said the ship had requested emergency assistance.
This comes as authorities in the port city of Galle were preparing to hand over the remains of the 87 Iranian sailors killed in the torpedo attack, which was claimed by the US military. At the main hospital in Galle, 32 rescued Iranians were still being treated under heavy security provided by police and elite commandos.
Reports indicated that Iran had requested to enter the safety of the island’s waters, and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was meeting top officials to discuss a response. Meanwhile, navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath said search operations continue for an estimated 60 people who remain unaccounted for. Iran is a key buyer of Sri Lankan tea, the country’s main export commodity.
The attack on IRIS Dena widens the scope of the war, occurring thousands of miles from the Gulf, where the US and Israeli forces are striking Iran, and Tehran is retaliating with missile and drone attacks. The ship had issued a distress call at dawn on Wednesday, but completely sunk by the time a Sri Lankan rescue ship reached the area. The frigate was returning from a military exercise in Visakhapatnam when it was struck.
While Sri Lanka and India have remained neutral and repeatedly urged dialogue, the region is increasingly drawn into the fallout of the US-Israel offensive launched last Saturday. The campaign that resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. US President Donald Trump has suggested that toppling the government is a goal, but the exact aims and timelines have repeatedly shifted, signalling an open-ended conflict.