Naval Ripples

The torpedoing of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean is a stark reminder that distant wars rarely remain distant for India. When a US submarine destroyed the vessel near Sri Lanka's southern coast on 4 March, the attack did not merely sink a warship. It brought a major geopolitical conflict into India’s immediate maritime neighbourhood.

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Only days earlier, the same ship had been a diplomatic guest in India. The frigate had sailed into Visakhapatnam to participate in the International Fleet Review 2026 and the multilateral naval exercise Milan, events designed to highlight India’s growing maritime influence in the Indo-Pacific. Warships from dozens of countries had gathered under the banner of cooperation, with the Indian Navy projecting its ambition to be the Indian Ocean's “preferred security partner.”

The abrupt destruction of a participating vessel so soon after the exercise ended has therefore raised uncomfortable questions. The strike itself occurred in international waters near Sri Lanka, far outside India’s jurisdiction.