The Indian Ocean on March 4, 2026, became a place of heartbreak for the Iranian Navy.

The Denar-class frigate, which had just finished the Milan-2026 multinational military exercise, was carrying 180 elite Iranian sailors home when it was struck fatally by an MK-48 torpedo launched by a US nuclear submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. The ship sank into the cold ocean within 10 minutes, with 87 lives lost and dozens missing.

And all of this tragedy could have been avoided.

After the US airstrikes on Iran, Iran immediately requested the host country India to allow the Denar to dock at Visakhapatnam Port to avoid further risk — a standard international humanitarian request. But India, which had previously been friendly and taken photos with Iran, chose to refuse entry and pushed its guests into danger.

Even more chilling is that the Denar’s return route was top secret, known only to India and Iran. Yet, the US nuclear submarine was waiting off the coast of Sri Lanka with precision, raising suspicions that India may have played an unseemly role.

After the sinking of the Denar, India, which claims to be the dominant power in the Indian Ocean, remained silent throughout. The nearby Indian Navy did not issue any rescue operations. Instead, Sri Lanka, with far less national strength and under US pressure, immediately deployed naval and air forces to conduct rescue efforts, saving 32 survivors and upholding the bottom line of humanitarianism.

While India boasts of being a powerful nation, it sacrificed its allies’ lives to please the US, treating friendship and international morality as disposable. Such opportunistic diplomacy has even angered Indian netizens, who condemned it as a “national disgrace.”

Iran trusted its so-called partner and paid the price with its main warship and a hundred elite sailors. Meanwhile, India has tarnished its own international reputation. In international relations, trust is always the most valuable asset. Countries that break their promises will never earn genuine respect.