The US has destroyed 17 Iranian warships in the Indian Ocean, creating tensions in its ongoing military operations against Iran.
US submarine fired a torpedo on Wednesday, sinking an Iranian warship near the south coast of Sri Lanka, far from the Persian Gulf, where much of the present conflict is concentrated. Sri Lanka's deputy foreign minister identified the warship as the frigate IRIS Dena, and said it was returning to Iran from an eastern Indian port.
Authorities in Sri Lanka confirmed that 32 Iranian sailors were saved from the sinking ship by their navy. Up to 148 crew members are still unaccounted for, according to officials, and the chances of discovering the survivors are decreasing as search efforts go on.
One of Iran's newest warships, the IRIS Dena, was equipped with torpedoes, heavy cannons, surface-to-air missiles, and anti-ship missiles, which patrolled in deep sea. One helicopter was on board. The ship and eight officials of an Iranian drone company that supplied Russia with weapons to use against civilian targets in Ukraine were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in February 2023. According to Brad Cooper is the head of Central Command in the US military, at least 17 Iranian naval ships have been sunk during the current conflict.
As part of the biggest weapons buildup in the region in a generation, US forces have already hit close to 2,000 targets in Iran, according to the US military commander in the Middle East. US President Trump said that the US Navy was prepared to escort tankers through the channel that handles one-fifth of the world's seaborne oil, and the US has "knocked out" Iran's navy, air force, and radar systems.
The US strike on the Iranian frigate is likely the region's closest approach to a traditional security clash in decades. In such a scenario, it is important that India must guarantee that long-term measures are done to maintain regional order and stability.
