NEW YORK, March 6. /TASS/. The US submarine strike on the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, located off the coast of Sri Lanka, poses a threat to the security and economies of Indo-Pacific countries, Bloomberg reported, citing several experts.
"As the conflict continues to escalate, the risks of miscalculation will rise sharply in fast-moving situations," said Reema Bhattacharya, head of Asia risk insight at Verisk Maplecroft. "An accidental strike, a misread signal, a vessel in the wrong place could bring the region’s carefully maintained posture of neutrality under real strain."
According to Bloomberg, the strike on the frigate "marked a sharp escalation in the war between the two nations, raising fresh security and economic risks across the Indo-Pacific." With Tehran vowing retaliation, "the risk of naval clashes is rising along sea lanes vital to global commerce." The incident is likely to further unnerve Indo-Pacific nations, both friend and foe alike," said an expert quoted by the agency.
On March 4, a US Navy submarine attacked the IRIS Dena frigate, causing it to sink off the coast of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan authorities rescued 32 people, all Iranian citizens, who were taken to hospital. Eighty-seven bodies were recovered from the water; the remaining crew members remain missing.
On February 28, the US and Israel launched a military operation against Iran. The strikes targeted major Iranian cities, including Tehran. The White House justified the attack by citing missile and nuclear threats from Iran. At the same time, US leadership openly called on the Iranian population to rise up against their government and seize power. As a result of the strikes, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several other key figures in the leadership of the Islamic Republic were killed.