A recent maritime incident near Sri Lanka has sparked debate over India’s strategic positioning in the Indian Ocean and its relationship with the United States.

According to defence analyst Pravin Sawhney, speaking in a vlog on his YouTube channel Force Magazine, an Iranian warship named IRIS Dena was sunk by an American nuclear-powered submarine roughly 40 miles off the Sri Lankan coast, a location very close to India’s maritime sphere of influence.

Warship Had Recently Visited India

Sawhney pointed out that the Iranian vessel had recently visited India to participate in the International Fleet Review in Visakhapatnam, held from February 15 to 25.

The ceremonial naval event included 19 foreign warships, with the President of India, who also serves as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, acting as the reviewing officer.

International fleet reviews are primarily symbolic exercises meant to demonstrate goodwill and build trust between participating navies.

Following the sinking of the warship, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian Araqchi reportedly stated that the vessel believed it was operating in “friendly waters,” referring to India.

According to Sawhney, Araqchi said the ship was not in operational mode, its weapons were secured, and most personnel on board were non-combatant ceremonial staff.

Debate in India Over Government Response

The incident has triggered discussion within India about whether New Delhi should express displeasure over the attack.

However, Sawhney argued that India may find it difficult to do so because of its growing strategic alignment with the United States.

He noted that after signing the four foundational military agreements with Washington, India became closely integrated with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command structure and accepted a role as a “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean region.

US Naval Presence in the Region

Before the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, Iran had warned that it would target American bases if the United States entered the war.

In anticipation, U.S. forces reportedly repositioned warships from the Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, into the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean region.

Sawhney suggested that such deployments would almost certainly have been known to the Indian Navy given the level of coorIRIS Denation between the two countries.

Military Logistics and Repair Agreements

In recent years, India and the United States have deepened defence cooperation in maritime logistics.

In 2023, Washington and New Delhi signed a Master Ship Repair Agreement, allowing U.S. Navy vessels to undergo maintenance in Indian shipyards rather than traveling to Singapore.

Individual agreements were subsequently concluded with major Indian shipbuilders, including:

Larsen & Toubro in Chennai (July 2023)

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (July 2023)

Cochin Shipyard (April 2024)

These arrangements expanded India’s role in supporting American naval operations in the region.

Missile Reloading Challenges

Sawhney also highlighted logistical constraints faced by U.S. naval forces during the conflict.

Iran reportedly targeted key Middle Eastern ports capable of reloading Tomahawk cruise missiles carried by American warships.

Because these vertical launch missiles cannot be reloaded at sea, U.S. vessels require specialized port facilities.

The nearest such facility is located at Diego Garcia, a strategic military base in the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

Diego Garcia and Regional Security

The Diego Garcia base is operated jointly by the United Kingdom and the United States, though the archipelago is internationally recognized as belonging to Mauritius.

In May 2025, the United Kingdom and Mauritius reached a new 99-year lease agreement for the base.

According to Sawhney, India also became indirectly involved in the arrangement by signing a $680 million security package with Mauritius, which includes plans to establish a maritime surveillance radar network across the region.

Strategic Implications

Taken together, Sawhney argues that these developments illustrate how deeply India has become integrated into the broader U.S. security architecture in the Indian Ocean.

While India’s cooperation with Washington strengthens regional security capabilities, the sinking of the Iranian warship has also raised questions about how New Delhi balances its strategic partnerships with diplomatic sensitivities in the region.

Sawhney suggested that India could have at least informed Washington that the Iranian vessel had recently participated in a ceremonial naval event in India, or communicated with Tehran regarding the ship’s movement.

“India did nothing of that,” he said in his vlog, adding that the episode may prompt questions about New Delhi’s role and responsibilities as a major security actor in the Indian Ocean.

© Naya Daur