The US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) claims that the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, sunk by a US submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka, had weapons on board and was a legitimate military target.
The command has released a “fact-check“ in X. The US military has dismissed Tehran's claims that the “IRIS Dena was not armed“ as false.
The command claims that two claims are true.
The first is that “The Law of Armed Conflict authorizes the use of force to engage and destroy legitimate military objectives“.
The second is that “the US military was involved in planning, and Sri Lanka provided vital assistance to the victims in accordance with the law“.
In the torpedoing of the Iranian frigate on March 4, 2026, at least 87 were confirmed dead.
The incident occurred in international waters off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, near the city of Galle.