New Delhi, Updated At: 08:36 AM Mar 06, 2026 IST
A day after a US submarine sank an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka — close to Indian waters — Iran’s foreign minister, Sayed Abbas Araghchi, warned the US would “pay bitterly” for targeting a vessel in international waters.
India has dismissed social media claims that the US Navy used Indian ports to launch attacks on Iran. A clip circulating online from US channel OAN showed a participant identified as Doug MacGregor, a former adviser to the US Secretary of Defense, saying Indian ports were being used by the US navy. The Ministry of External Affairs posted on X that “these claims are fake and false. We caution you against such baseless and fabricated comments.”
Araghchi posted on X that “the US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores.” He said the frigate IRIS Dena, a guest of India’s navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning, and warned, “Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed that a US submarine fired a torpedo and sank an Iranian navy vessel off Sri Lanka.
Former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) said India had no responsibility for the Iranian ship once it left Visakhapatnam and was in international waters, but added that, “being a partner and friend, the US should have thought about India’s position,” suggesting the US should have avoided striking a ship so close to India. He also said the Iranian ship could have sought a safe harbour in India.
Rear Admiral MD Suresh (retd), former Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command, stated that the Laws of Armed Conflict permit such actions as carried out by the US. On why Sri Lanka led the rescue efforts while India did not, he explained that oceans are divided into search-and-rescue regions assigned to maritime nations; Sri Lanka has an effective SAR organisation and managed the response independently.
Analysts note the West Asia conflict has moved closer to the Indian coast. The strike at sea was about 4,000 km from Iran, expanding the conflict’s radius. Several US warships, reportedly fearing Iranian missile strikes, have moved eastward toward India but remain in international waters. India has denied that any US navy assets have used Indian ports.
