This week has been quite interesting in terms of naval developments. Video was released of a US submarine torpedoing an Iranian frigate in the Indian Ocean. On March 3, 2026, in international waters about 40 kilometers south of the coast of Sri Lanka, a US Navy submarine attacked the Iranian frigate Dena. US Secretary of Defense/War Pete Hegseth officially confirmed the attack during a briefing: “An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that was believed to be safe in ‘international waters.'”
The frigate Dena, with a displacement of approximately 1,500 tons, was commissioned in 2021. It is 94 meters long. The ship was en route to Iran after participating in the international naval exercise MILAN 2026, held off the coast of India. The exercise began on February 21. Ships from India, Russia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Iran participated.
The Iranian ship sank after being torpedoed. 32 people were rescued and transported to hospitals in Sri Lanka. The ship’s crew numbered approximately 180. 87 sailors died, and the rest are missing.
In essence, Tehran spent a significant portion of its Limited resources in expensive and highly questionable weapons systems, which would have been appropriate in the 1980s, during the height of the “tanker war.”
Events unfolded rather quickly, and it can be concluded that Operation Epic Fury, a short-term strategy, has confirmed that no war based on “asymmetric drones” works if the enemy has a full fleet and operates competently.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Air Force remains silent. New satellite footage of Tabriz International Airport shows that the runway is destroyed. The photo shows systematic attacks along the entire length of the runway and the airport’s taxiways. Precision strikes are also being carried out on most of the hangars. Tabriz Airport is approximately 1,200 km from Israel (the northernmost part of Iran).
At the same time, the war of attrition imposed by Tehran is working against Israeli defense systems. On March 5, at least three Iranian missiles struck Tel Aviv completely pierced Iron Dome. The Iranians have promised to continue hitting radar systems in the Gulf until their adversaries are blinded. This will allow them to increase their missile launches with greater precision.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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