US/Israel-Iran War comes to Sri Lanka’s waters

Col R Hariharan |Op-Ed| Ceylon Today| 15 March 2026

https://ceylontoday.lk/2026/03/15/us-israel-iran-war-comes-to-sri-lankas-waters/

Nobody among the 74 nations, who participated in the largest edition of the Indian Navy’s multilateral naval Exercise MILAN from February 15 to 25 in Vishakapatnam in India, would have imagined it would usher in the US-Iran war to the Indian Ocean region. That is exactly what happened when one of the three Iranian Navy ships that had taken part in the International Fleet Review - IRIS Dena - ran into the sights of USS Charlotte (SSN-766) submarine on March 4. The US fast-attack submarine torpedoed and sank the Iranian warship, 40 km from the coast of Sri Lanka. Eighty-seven Iranian sailors were killed and 60 are reported missing. Sri Lankan Navy, which carried out a search and rescue mission picked up 32 survivors and the dead bodies.

In the 13^th edition of the Exercise, India had demonstrated its naval power with the participation of a carrier battle group led by INS Vikrant. A series of off-shore and on sea exercises were conducted with the participation of 42 warships (including 18 of them “friendly” foreign countries) and 29 naval aircraft. Ironically, the Sea Phase featured advanced anti-submarine warfare, air defence, maritime interdiction, cross-deck flying and live weapon firings.

The theme of the Exercise MILAN was 'Camaraderie, Cooperation, Collaboration'! Apart from Iran, major participants included the US, Russia, Japan, Australia, UK, France, Germany, the UAE and various ASEAN and IOR nations.

The sinking of the Iranian frigate that had participated as a guest in a friendly exercise hosted by India in the Indian Ocean has raised both moral, legal and ethical issues in the cynical world of nations waging wars.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry officially labelled the torpedoing as an atrocity at sea and a war crime.  Iran claimed the vessel was in international waters and was unarmed or lightly armed for its participation in the naval review. Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Aragachi has warned the US would bitterly regret the precedent set by the attack on a vessel returning from a diplomatic mission.

As expected, President Donald Trump was flippant in his comments on the sinking while addressing the Republican Members Issues Conference in Florida on March 9, 2026. He recounted a conversation with military officials where he asked why they were sinking "top of the line" Iranian ships instead of capturing them for US use. He claimed the officials told him it was "more fun to sink them" and safer than attempting a capture. He bragged that the US Navy had destroyed 46 Iranian naval ships in just three and a half days, stating, "Their Navy is gone, it's all lying at the bottom of the ocean." Trump emphasized that the US would continue until Iran was "totally and decisively defeated," dismissing the need for "restraint.” Though he trivialised Iran choking international energy tankers from transit at the Straits of Hormuz, its daily transit there has plummeted to 92%. 

There is no doubt the sinking of the Iranian warship that had participated as a guest in an Indian naval exercise has caused a strategic embarrassment to India. This was evident from India maintaining a strategic silence on the sinking of IRIS Dena. While PM Narendra Modi did not say anything, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar commented that the sinking was part of the "reality of the Indian Ocean." "When [Iranian sailors] set out and came here, the situation was totally different. They were coming in for a fleet review. And then they got, in a way, caught on the wrong side of events," Jaishankar added. India has permitted another Iranian warship, IRIS Lavan, to dock at Kochi on humanitarian grounds following the US sub attack of IRIS Dena. It reflects New Delhi’s stand on the US/Israel war on Iran: avoiding taking sides, calling for restraint, de-escalation and a return to dialogue.

The comments of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reflected the dilemma of South Asian nations in commenting on the war against Iran. He emphasized Sri Lanka’s neutrality in the conflict and its actions were solely based on humanitarian grounds. Sri Lanka took the rare step of “interning” another Iranian naval vessel IRIS Bushehr and its 208 members in Trincomalee harbour after it sought refuge. Interning refers to the legal process where Sri Lanka, a neutral country, takes custody of a belligerent nation's warship and its crew to prevent them from returning to active combat. This is a formal obligation under the 1907 Hague Convention, which dictates how neutral powers must handle foreign military assets that seek refuge in their territory during an armed conflict.  Evidently, Sri Lanka does not want to be seen offending POTUS Trump.

Moreover, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have destroyed at least 10 advanced American radar systems to "blind" U.S. surveillance and missile defence. Satellite imagery and official statements seem to have confirmed them. These include:

• Qatar: The AN/FPS-132 early-warning radar near Al-Khor, valued at approximately $1.1 billion.
• Jordan: A $300 million AN/TPY-2 radar (part of the THAAD missile defence system) at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base.
• Saudi Arabia: At a radar site near Prince Sultan Air Base, where a THAAD battery tent was charred.
• United Arab Emirates: At Al Ruwais and Al Sader bases tents  which host THAAD components were set on fire.

• Bahrain: In the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, satellite communication (SATCOM) terminals.
• Kuwait: Reports indicate damage to communication structures at Ali al Salem Air Base and the destruction of radomes at Camp Arifjan.

There is no sign of the War ending soon though it is two weeks since it started. On March 12, 2026 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian outlined three specific conditions for ending the ongoing conflict with the US and Israel following his discussions with leaders from Russia and Pakistan.  These include the recognition of Iran’s legitimate rights – sovereignty and specific regional rights including the right to a civilian nuclear programme. Payment of reparations to Iran for the damages and losses caused by the belligerents during the conflict is the second condition. Thirdly, Iran sought firm international guarantees against future aggression.

POTUS Trump is in no mood to accept any conditional end to the war; he is calling total surrender of the Iranian regime. US Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth’s latest press briefing held on Friday, March 13, 2026, provided updates on Operation Epic Fury, the military campaign against Iran. He claimed that the US and Israel have struck over 15,000 targets in the first two weeks of conflict. He claimed that Iran’s missile volume is down by 90% and their one-way drone attack volume has decreased by 95%. Hegseth emphasized that the US policy of adopting a decisive and aggressive military stance has drawn criticism from international rights groups.

However, India’s EAM Jaishankar’s parleys with his Iranian counterpart seems to have succeeded in persuading Iran to allow oil tankers destined for India struck at Straits of Hormuz. With POTUS “allowing” the sale of Russian oil to India and others for the time being, India seems to have warded off serious gas and petroleum shortages for the time being. Hopefully, India will heed the call for meeting the energy needs of its smaller neighbours like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives.

The crisis in GCC, has dislocated Sri Lankan tourism industry plans, which had ended the year 2025 on a very bright note. Unfortunately, the war in GCC came at the wrong time when remittances from Sri Lankan expatriates were touching a new high. One can only hope with the blessings of Satara varan devi - four guardian deities of Sri Lanka - help the War to end soon.