The US torpedo attack on the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in international waters was a lawful act of war between belligerents, not a diplomatic or strategic embarrassment for India, asserts Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
The sinking of the IRIS Dena on March 4, 2026 approximately forty nautical miles south of the Sri Lankan port of Galle, by a torpedo attack mounted by a US navy submarine, has drawn much comment from observers.
Unfortunately, many of these commentaries betray abject ignorance of the laws of armed conflict at sea or purposeful malice and in some cases, both.
Not surprisingly, many such accounts originate from dubious handles and therefore weigh substantially towards mischief.
The first contention in these reports that needs to be debunked is that the incident is a 'strategic embarrassment' for India as the Iranian warship was returning after an international event on the invitation of the Indian Navy.
The event in question concluded on February 26 and all participating ships were on return passage to their home ports.
The current war in the Gulf began on February 28 with US and Israel launching strikes on Iran and the latter launching retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.
The Iranian ship was struck on March 4 in international waters and well outside the territorial waters of both India and Sri Lanka. This was an act of war between belligerents, period.
The second piece of misinformation about Search and Rescue (SAR) effort not being undertaken by India also needs to be trashed.
The world's oceans are divided into zones that fall under the responsibility of Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) of coastal nations.
In this case, the incident occurred inside the zone of responsibility of MRCC, Colombo.
The Indian SAR effort was mounted expeditiously in coordination with Sri Lankan maritime authorities.
Third, the notion that it was incorrect of the USA to target the Iranian ship 'close to' Indian waters must be seen in perspective.
While war and the consequent loss of life is deplorable, once Iran launched retaliatory attacks on Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, with specific targeting of US military infrastucture, all bets between the belligerents were off.
Assets of both belligerents in international waters became legitimate targets. Indian sovereign waters are limited to twelve nautical miles of territorial sea from the baselines and anything beyond that is international waters.
'Close' or 'far' are terms not used by professionals in relation to maritime responsibilities.
Fourth, and another equally absurd observation was that the USA should have taken India into confidence before executing such an operation.
Nobody shares war plans with anyone. They are closely guarded secrets even within the military establishment.
Operational secrecy will never be compromised by any self-respecting military.
Even for the sake of argument, if we assume that the USA did take India into confidence about a possible encounter, what would India's response be? Hit? Don't hit? Any why would the USA listen?
Fifth, there is also a view that the USA should not have targetted the Iranian ship so far away from the primary theatre of conflict. By doing so, it has 'globalised' the conflict.
This is also misleading, as with full-blown hostilities, both sides will hit whatever assets they think are legitimate targets, anywhere within their reach.
These will include warships and flag state merchant vessels of both sides. This does not amount to globalising the conflict.
Surprise, flexibility and offensive action are established principles of war. Moralistic opinions aside, the US Navy used these principles effectively.
Any other navy at war would have done the same if it had the reach and power.
During hostilities, either belligerent should expect attacks by the other on their warships and merchant vessels deployed around the world and take appropriate measures.
To maintain neutrality, India must scrupulously adhere to the laws of armed conflict with respect to its dealings with both sides.
The ongoing war in the Gulf critically affects India's energy security. India also has good bilateral relations with all nations who are party to this conflict and a diaspora of over nine million in the GCC countries.
India must therefore use its good offices to bring an early end to the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue.
Disclaimer: These are Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta's personal views.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff