By Our Correspondents

NEW DELHI/TEHRAN - The sinking of an Iranian warship by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean has ignited a fierce political firestorm in India, with opposition leaders accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of "timid and fearful" silence while a vessel that participated in India's flagship naval exercise was attacked without warning.

The IRIS Dena, a destroyer attached to Iran's Southern Fleet, was returning from participation in India's International Fleet Review and MILAN 2026 multilateral naval exercise in Visakhapatnam when it was struck by a US submarine torpedo on Wednesday.

The vessel sank approximately 20 nautical miles west of Galle, Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 sailors, with 32 survivors rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has condemned the attack in the strongest terms, describing it as an "atrocity" and warning that Washington will "bitterly regret" its actions.

"The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores," Araghchi wrote on X. "Frigate Dena, a guest of India's Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning. Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set".

Araghchi further emphasized that attacking an unarmed vessel constitutes a war crime under international law. The ship was carrying officers in training and lacked offensive weaponry at the time of the attack.

- India's response under scrutiny

The Indian Navy issued a press release on Thursday, almost 24 hours after the incident, following global criticism over its silence after an Iranian warship -- which had participated in naval exercises hosted by India -- was sunk by a US submarine near the region.

Critics say New Delhi failed to respond to the Indian Navy's guest, which was attacked, leaving nearly 100 Iranian sailors dead.

The incident has triggered accusations of diplomatic embarrassment and raised questions about India’s role and handling of the situation.

The Indian Navy detailed its search and rescue efforts, stating that a distress call from IRIS Dena was received by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Colombo in the early hours of March 4. 

According to the release, the Indian Navy launched a long-range maritime patrol aircraft at 10:00 AM to augment search efforts led by Sri Lanka.

INS Tarangini, operating in the vicinity, was deployed and arrived in the search area by 4:00 PM on March 4. INS Ikshak also sailed from Kochi to assist in searching for missing personnel.

However, critics note that by the time Indian assets arrived, the Sri Lankan Navy had already completed the bulk of rescue operations. The delay has raised questions about India's claims of being the "net security provider" in the Indian Ocean.

Indian opposition Congress MP Jairam Ramesh launched a blistering attack on the government, saying he has "never seen such a timid and fearful Indian government."

"This US action has enormous implications for India as well, and it is shocking that there has been no official response to it till now," Ramesh posted on X. "Maybe it should not be surprising since the Modi government has still not broken its silence over the targeted assassinations in Iran. Never before has the Indian government looked so timid and fearful".

Ramesh highlighted that the MILAN exercise, inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, included 18 warships from other countries, "including the USA and Iran." He called the subsequent sinking of a participating vessel by another participant "all the more extraordinary".

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, accused Prime Minister Modi of "surrendering India's strategic autonomy" at a moment when the country needs a "steady hand at the wheel."

Adding to New Delhi's diplomatic discomfort, Iranian Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali told reporters in New Delhi on Thursday that there were currently no negotiations or messages being exchanged with the Indian side regarding the conflict and warship attack.

Fathali described the late Ayatollah Khamenei as a guiding force and reiterated that Iran had entered negotiations with the United States despite doubts about American intentions, only to be attacked before the set timeline.

"We were at the negotiation table. They destroyed the negotiation table. They started the war. We are subjected to military, criminal military aggression. We announced that we will respond, we strongly respond," the envoy said.

On the warship sinking specifically, Fathali stated that the US was aware of Iran's capabilities. "They calculate cost and benefit, they know very well the capacity and capability of Iran. We don't want war, they started... But the duration of the war is in our hands. This is very important".

- Questions over Indian Navy's role

The Indian Navy's official response has drawn sharp criticism from strategic analysts and social media users. A detailed critique circulating on X argues that the Navy's press release, "meant to cover up yesterday's embarrassment, has instead raised more questions than answers."

The critique highlights several points of concern:

• The Navy claims to be the "net security provider" in the Indian Ocean, yet failed to respond when it mattered

• It portrays itself as a global power, but when the moment came to demonstrate capability, it "quietly hid behind Sri Lanka."

• The so-called response was symbolic — a maritime patrol aircraft sent for optics, while critical rescue assets remained on standby

• The diverted ship arrived only after the Sri Lankan Navy had already completed the operation

"The Indian Navy has inadvertently exposed itself as little more than a merchant fleet, the analysis concluded.

- Su-30 crash deepens questions

Adding to the narrative of military vulnerability, an Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighter crashed on Thursday evening during a training flight in Assam, killing both pilots. The aircraft took off from Jorhat air base and lost contact with ground control shortly thereafter.

The coincidence in timing -- coming just one day after the Iranian warship was sunk by US forces -- has fueled speculation on social media.

One widely circulated post questioned: "Indian Su-30 crashes. The big question is, is it a coincidence coming just a day after an Iranian battleship was sunk by the US with possible Indian connivance? Iran hand or not, it is now almost prophetic; everything India flies comes crashing down."

This marks the second Indian air crash in recent weeks, following a Tejas fighter accident on February 7.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that a US Navy submarine torpedoed the Iranian vessel, describing it as the first sinking of an enemy ship by torpedo since World War II. However, fact-checkers have noted that the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano was torpedoed by a British submarine during the 1982 Falklands War.

Iranian officials have emphasized that the IRIS Dena was unarmed and returning from a friendly visit to India when it was attacked. Araghchi's characterization of the attack as a "war crime" under international law has not been directly addressed by Washington.

- The silence from New Delhi

As of Friday, Prime Minister Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs have issued no official statement on the sinking of the Iranian warship -- a vessel that, by all accounts, was in the region as India's guest.

The government's silence stands in stark contrast to the urgency with which it has responded to previous regional crises.

The incident has also raised questions about whether countries should participate in future joint drills with India, as critics argue that New Delhi left a visiting vessel without support during a crisis near its waters, effectively abandoning a guest in a moment of difficulty.