IRIS Dena Sunk by US, Another Iranian Warship Rushes to Sri Lanka

An Iranian warship was reported to be sailing toward Sri Lanka’s territorial waters on Thursday 5 March 2026 local time. The movement was detected a day after the Iranian warship IRIS Dena was sunk by a torpedo attack launched by a United States submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. At least 87 sailors were killed and 61 others were missing in the incident. About 32 sailors were rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The movement of the second Iranian warship toward Sri Lankan waters, according to AFP on Thursday 5 March 2026, was announced by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Media, Nalinda Jayatissa, while addressing parliament on the same day. Jayatissa told Sri Lankan MPs that the second Iranian warship was located just outside Sri Lankan waters. He did not provide further details. The name of the second Iranian warship was not disclosed.

Several official Sri Lankan sources said the Iranian warship carried more than 100 crew and feared it could become a target for a similar attack that sank IRIS Dena on Wednesday 4 March 2026.

The sinking occurred as the conflict triggered by the joint US-Israel attack on Tehran continued to spread across the Middle East and the wider region.

Meanwhile, authorities in the port city of Galle in southern Sri Lanka were preparing on Thursday 5 March to hand over the bodies of 87 Iranian sailors who died in the US torpedo attack.

Officials at the main hospitals in Galle said the 32 rescued sailors were still receiving medical treatment under tight police and elite Sri Lankan security, most with minor injuries, though some had broken bones and burns.

Sri Lanka Navy spokesperson Buddhika Sampath told AFP that forces were continuing to search for around 61 Iranian sailors still missing after the attack.

Sri Lanka reiterated its neutrality and repeatedly urged dialogue to resolve the Middle East conflict.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had previously announced that a US submarine had sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Sri Lanka, with a torpedo. He described the attack as a “silent death”.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in response, accused the US of barbarity and warned that the US would “very much regret” its actions. He said the attack was launched in international waters without warning.

“Remember my words: the US will very much regret the precedent it has set,” the Iranian foreign minister said.