U.S. submarine sinks Iranian warship in Indian Ocean as conflict widens : NPR

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The US-Israeli war against Iran has spread to the Indian Ocean. This is where a US submarine sank an Iranian warship today in international waters near Sri Lanka. NPR’s Diaa Hadid reports from Mumbai.

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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It’s getting more and more intense and more and more bizarre.

DIAA HADID, BYLINE: At first, there was disbelief. This is the Indian channel NDTV.

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UNIDENTIFIED JOURNALIST: There are now reports of a submarine attack on an Iranian ship somewhere off the coast of Sri Lanka.

HADID: Sri Lanka’s foreign minister says he received a distress call and sent ships and planes on a rescue mission. They recovered more than 80 bodies and rescued more than 30 people. There is still more missing. Hours later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that a U.S. submarine had sunk the IRIS Dena, one of Iran’s newest warships.

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PETE HEGSETH: It was sunk by a torpedo. A quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by torpedo since World War II.

HADID: The attack triggered waves of anxiety across South Asia. The attack occurred near Sri Lanka. This island is close to the southeastern tip of India. And the question is: was Sri Lanka or India warned?

SUSHANT SINGH: My fear is that there is no evidence so far that they informed either the Indians or the Sri Lankans.

HADID: Sushant Singh teaches South Asian studies at Yale University. He is also a former Indian military officer. He says it’s concerning because India has cordial relations with the Trump administration. And he clearly did not condemn the assassination of the Iranian head of state on Saturday, even though the country maintained working relations with Tehran. Worse still, the Iranian ship left a fleet review ceremony in an Indian port at the end of February.

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HADID: The review was overseen by Indian President and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, who had posted videos on X set to dramatic music celebrating the event as marines rallied for peace.

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HADID: India has so far made no comment on the sinking of the Iranian ship. The Sri Lankan government has called for peace and says it does not want to become a victim of this conflict. Singh says the incident will also raise alarms for China, which analysts say is seeking to expand its dominance in the Indian Ocean.

SINGH: If the U.S. Navy does this here, it really sends a signal that, obviously, the Chinese are likely to take more seriously.

HADID: A signal to allies and rivals that America will operate where and how it wants.

Diaa Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai.

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