U.S. Attack on Iranian Frigate Near Indian Waters Exposes Modi Government’s Strategic Failure

Sitaram Khoiwal, National Vice President of the Social Democratic Party of India, strongly condemns the barbaric sinking of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena by a United States submarine in the Indian Ocean on March 3, 2026, an act that reeks of imperial arrogance and exposes the Modi governments abject failure to safeguard our nations sovereignty and regional stability. This vessel, which had just participated as an honored guest in Indias MILAN 2026 International Fleet Review and naval exercises in Visakhapatnam from February 18 to 25, was treacherously attacked while returning home through international waters near Sri Lanka, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 87 lives and leaving dozens missing. The distress call at dawn, followed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths brazen confirmation on March 4, underscores a premeditated assault that mocks international norms and drags our neighborhood into the vortex of USIsraeli aggression against Iran.

The Modi regime bears direct responsibility for this heinous crime. By extending invitations to Iranian ships amid deepening ties with Washington through the Quad alliance, New Delhi has effectively ceded our maritime backyard to foreign powers, allowing such violations mere miles from our shores. This is not mere oversight but complicity in USled militarism, betraying Indias nonaligned heritage and neighborhood first policy. Why was there no prior intelligence sharing or protest from our government? Why the deafening silence from the Ministry of External Affairs, even as Sri Lankan rescuers recovered bodies? This incident jeopardizes our energy security, with Iran as a vital oil partner, and risks escalating conflicts that could engulf South Asia, empowering proxies and disrupting trade routes.

We demand an immediate parliamentary probe into Modis role, expulsion of US military liaisons, and solidarity with Iran against this piracy. The blood of those sailors stains the hands of a government that prioritizes vassalage over sovereignty.