‘Unethical’: Sri Lankan MP Rajapaksa Questions US Strike on Iranian Warship IRIS Dena

In the aftermath of the sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan MP Namal Rajapaksa described the attack as unethical and said its legality could be debated.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2026 in New Delhi on Saturday, Rajapaksa said the incident raises serious concerns about international law, maritime norms and the conduct of major powers in the Indian Ocean region. “The legality of it can certainly be debated,” Rajapaksa said, noting that legal experts and academics may continue to argue over whether the strike violated international law. However, he stressed that the broader ethical implications of the incident should not be ignored.

“Academics can debate the legality of it. But the moral values, the ethics and the practices that have governed the Indian Ocean are clearly being broken,” he said. The remarks came after a US submarine attacked the Iranian vessel on March 4. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth later confirmed that an American submarine had carried out the strike on IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka’s southern coast, marking a major escalation of naval tensions in the region.

The incident has drawn global attention, with observers questioning the legality of US military action so close to key regional shipping routes and near India. Rajapaksa — the eldest son of former Sri Lankan president and prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa — said the episode highlights broader concerns about how major powers operate militarily in the Indian Ocean.

He also called for regional countries to begin a serious dialogue on how such incidents should be addressed in the future. According to Rajapaksa, recent conflicts around the world have prompted many nations to question whether the international legal and human rights frameworks promoted by powerful countries are being applied consistently.

He said countries bordering the Indian Ocean should work together to ensure that decisions affecting regional security are not imposed unilaterally by outside powers. Highlighting earlier initiatives, Rajapaksa pointed to efforts by Sri Lanka, India and Maldives to strengthen maritime cooperation through discussions on maritime domain awareness, an initiative launched in 2011 to improve coordination and monitoring across the region.

According to him, those efforts gradually slowed over time but could regain importance amid rising geopolitical tensions. “India has a major role to play as a great power in the region and as a country with the capacity to lead,” Rajapaksa said, stressing that stronger regional cooperation will be essential to maintaining stability in the Indian Ocean.