Sri Lanka has repatriated the remains of 84 Iranian sailors killed after a US submarine sank an Iranian naval frigate near its southern coast, highlighting how the conflict is now impacting maritime routes far from the original battlegrounds. The sailors were aboard the Iranian Navy frigate IRIS Dena.
The vessel was torpedoed earlier this month in waters off Galle, Sri Lanka, during heightened hostilities linked to the ongoing confrontation between Iran and the US-Israel alliance. Frigate IRIS Dena was hit in US submarine attack earlier this month on March 4, which torpedoed off the coast of Sri Lanka while returning from a naval exercise organised by India.
Sri Lanka sends back remains of 84 Iranian sailors
Sri Lankan authorities confirmed that the remains of 84 Iranian sailors were handed over to the Iranian Embassy before being flown back to Tehran on a chartered aircraft. A Turkish chartered airliner departed from Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Hambantota carrying the bodies, according to officials and reporters present at the airport.
The repatriation followed an order by Galle Chief Magistrate Sameera Dodangoda, who directed the National Hospital in Karapitiya to release the bodies to Iranian authorities. “The human remains were handed over to the Iranian embassy and sent back to Iran,” a Sri Lankan foreign ministry spokesperson said.
What happened to the Iranian warship IRIS Dena?
The tragedy occurred on March 4, when the Iranian Navy frigate IRIS Dena was reportedly struck by a torpedo fired from a US submarine, causing the vessel to sink near Sri Lanka’s southern coastline. At the time of the attack, the warship was returning to Iran after participating in a naval fleet review exercise in Visakhapatnam, India.
Following the incident, 84 sailors were confirmed dead, 32 crew members survived and were rescued. The survivors were initially treated at Karapitiya National Hospital in Galle before being discharged and moved to a Sri Lankan Air Force facility at Koggala.
Sri Lankan authorities faced logistical challenges while managing the large number of casualties. The bodies were temporarily stored at Karapitiya Hospital, where officials had to arrange makeshift refrigeration facilities because the hospital’s morgue lacked sufficient capacity.
Incident linked to US-Israel-Iran conflict
The sinking of the Iranian warship occurred against the backdrop of the rapidly escalating conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel, which erupted after a joint US-Israeli strike killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28.
The killing triggered a wider regional war, with Iran retaliating against US and Israeli assets across the Middle East and the Gulf region. Since then, the conflict has spread beyond traditional battle zones, affecting maritime routes across the Indian Ocean and Gulf waters.
Iran vows retaliation
Iranian army commander-in-chief Amir Hatami on Saturday (March 14, 2026) vowed retaliation for the attack, saying the killing of 104 crew members aboard the IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean “will not go unanswered”. He said the crew of the Dena destroyer had completed a peaceful mission and were targeted while on their way back to Iran.
“The name of Dena and the sacrifice of its crew will remain a symbol of courage and dedication in Iran’s naval history. The army will defend Iran’s maritime borders and strengthen its naval power with even greater determination,” Hatami was quoted as saying by the state-run IRNA news agency.