Sri Lankan MP Rajapaksa Calls US Strike On IRIS Dena Unethical, Says 'Legality Can Be Debated'

Last Updated:March 14, 2026, 14:07 IST

Namal, the eldest son of former President and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, said the incident also highlights broader concerns about how major powers operate in the Indian Ocean.

In the wake of the sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka, which killed at least 87 people, Sri Lankan MP Namal Rajapaksa, described the attack as unethical and said its legality could be challenged.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2026 in New Delhi on Saturday, Rajapaksa said the incident raises serious questions about international law, maritime norms, and the conduct of major powers in the Indian Ocean.

Rajapaksa said, “The legality of it can certainly be debated," adding that academics may argue over whether the action violated international law. However, he questioned whether the legal and humanitarian principles advocated globally are being applied consistently in today’s conflicts.

“Academics can debate the legality of it. But the moral values, the ethics and the practices that have governed the Indian Ocean are clearly being broken," he said. Rajapaksa further called for a broader regional conversation on the issue.

After a US submarine struck the IRIS Dena on March 4, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that an American submarine had carried out the attack on the Iranian vessel near Sri Lanka’s southern coast, marking a significant escalation of naval operations in the region.

The incident drew global attention, with many questioning the legality of US military action so close to India.

Namal, the eldest son of former Sri Lankan President and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, said the incident also highlights broader concerns about how major powers operate in the Indian Ocean.

“Beyond the legal debate, there are moral values and ethics involved, and the established practices of the Indian Ocean are being broken," he said.

He called on regional nations to start a dialogue on how such incidents should be handled in the future. Rajapaksa noted that recent wars and crises have prompted many countries to question the credibility of the international legal and human rights frameworks that powerful nations once championed.

He emphasized that countries bordering the Indian Ocean must come together to decide how to respond to such events and ensure that regional security decisions are not imposed unilaterally by outside powers.

Highlighting past initiatives, he pointed to efforts by Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives to strengthen maritime cooperation through discussions on maritime domain awareness—an initiative launched in 2011 to improve monitoring and coordination across the region.

According to Rajapaksa, those efforts slowed over time but could now regain significance amid rising geopolitical tensions.

“India has a major role to play as a great power in the region and as a country with the capacity to lead," he said, underlining that cooperation among regional nations is essential to maintaining stability in the Indian Ocean.

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