Iranian Frigate Sinks off Sri Lanka, Dozens Rescued

Sri Lankan Navy forces have rescued 32 "critically wounded" Iranians from the warship IRIS Dena, one of the Iranian Navy's most modern surface combatants.

According to Sri Lankan officials, a distress call came in early Wednesday morning from the Dena. The vessel reported that it had been hit and was going down off Galle, and the Sri Lankan Navy launched a rescue mission with assistance from the Sri Lankan Air Force.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told lawmakers later in the day that there were 180 Iranian sailors aboard IRIS Dena, and 32 people were rescued. The survivors were delivered to the national hospital at Galle.

Officials later told Reuters that there were 78 injured in total and 101 people missing.

The cause of the casualty was not immediately disclosed. U.S. forces with Central Command have been systematically sinking Iranian warships in the Middle East, and claim to have eliminated 17 to date; on Tuesday, the command pledged to continue until Iran's navy is gone. (Galle is thousands of miles away from the conflict zone, and located in the Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility.)

IRIS Dena is one of Iran's most modern combatants. Commissioned in 2021, the vessel has indigenously-built engines and armament. It gained publicity in 2022-3 for its participation in a round-the-world tour; it was dispatched to India for the International Fleet Review 2026 exercises, and had just wrapped up that event before its sinking.