'Bit of treachery': US attack on IRIS Dena undermines Indian security ties
Source: The Guardian
‘Bit of treachery’: US attack on IRIS Dena undermines Indian security ties
Defence analyst says torpedo strike is a ‘humiliation’ for Modi’s government that disregarded a US defence partner
Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Dubai and Aanya Wipulasena in Colombo
Sun 15 Mar 2026 13.34 GMT
Last modified on Sun 15 Mar 2026 14.18 GMT
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The ship was more than 3,000km (1,864 miles) away from the Gulf and not on an active mission when it was hit by the US submarine, leading to comparisons to the sinking of the Belgrano, an Argentine ship controversially attacked by a British submarine in a defining moment of the Falklands war in 1982.
Dena had been invited to the region by India, to take part in the pomp and splendour of an international fleet review in the eastern port of Visakhapatnam. A routine event for the navies of the world to show off their ships and share training exercises, Iran was one of more than 70 countries that participated over the 10 days, alongside the US, Australia and Russia. Three days later, the US and Israel began bombing Iran.
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India’s former chief of naval staff, Adm Arun Prakash, said the attack on Dena was legal as it took place in international water but was nonetheless “shocking” on multiple fronts.
“The US navy could have sunk this ship anywhere on the way back to the Persian Gulf,” said Prakash. “We are supposed to be friends and partners of the USA. To bring the war to right to our doorstep was a perverse act.”
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/15/us-attack-iris-dena-undermines-indian-security-ties-iran