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3 min readMar 5, 2026 02:55 PM IST
Retired vice admiral Kumar added that the incident took place in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Sri Lanka, and hence, they could quickly get into the search and rescue operation.
Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar (retd), former vice-chief of the Indian Navy and the country’s first national maritime security coordinator, termed the downing of Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the Sri Lankan coast as “sad” for India, since it occurred while the vessel was returning from an Indian Navy international event. He, however, pointed out that there is no restriction on a war zone in the maritime domain.
The Indian Navy has yet to officially comment on the incident.
“It is very sad for us that the incident happened as the ship was returning from an international event organised by the Indian Navy. But in the maritime domain, there is no restriction of battle or war zone, and the war started after they departed India,” the (retd) vice admiral told The Indian Express.
IRIS Dena had participated in the International Fleet Review (IFR) and MILAN-2026, a multilateral naval exercise organised by the Indian Navy last month.
Retired vice admiral Kumar added that the incident took place in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Sri Lanka, and hence, they could quickly get into the search and rescue operation. “The fact that they were so close to the border might have meant that they were aware of some threat,” he said.
Another senior Navy official said that the US submarine attack to down the Iranian warship in international waters while it was on a peaceful passage is a “big escalation” in the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war.
“The ship was on a peaceful passage, and it wasn’t in the conflict zone. Even as the US has justified its action, this is a big escalation in the ongoing war,” said a senior official with the Indian Navy, who did not wish to be named.
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He further said that while warships have measures to counter torpedo attacks, the Iranian ship would have likely been taken by surprise. “They would not have expected an attack as they were on a peaceful passage and not in the conflict zone and were struck early morning. They may not have anticipated such an attack in international waters,” the official said.
While the Congress has raised questions over India’s influence in the neighbourhood, given that the attack happened in the Indian Ocean and after the ship was returning from India, several Indian Navy officials maintained that once the ship enters international waters, there is not much role that any country has.
Amrita Nayak Dutta writes on defence and national security as part of the national bureau of The Indian Express. In the past, Amrita has extensively reported on the media industry and broadcasting matters, urban affairs, bureaucracy and government policies. In the last 14 years of her career, she has worked in newspapers as well as in the online media space and is well versed with the functioning of both newsrooms. Amrita has worked in the northeast, Mumbai and Delhi. She has travelled extensively across the country, including in far-flung border areas, to bring detailed reports from the ground and has written investigative reports on media and defence. She has been working for The Indian Express since January 2023. ... Read More
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