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ISLAMABAD: New Delhi is facing mounting scrutiny after a United States submarine&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/congress-to-vote-on-trumps-war-powers-as-usisrael-strikes-on-iran-enter-fifth-day" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">torpedoed</a>&nbsp;Iran&rsquo;s frigate IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka, days after the vessel participated as a guest in India&rsquo;s biennial multinational naval exercise, MILAN 2026. The Iranian warship had taken part in the Indian Navy-hosted exercise in the Bay of Bengal from Feb. 18-25, where it was formally received by India&rsquo;s Eastern Naval Command. The vessel was later struck in international waters as it sailed westward toward the Indian Ocean. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike, saying, &ldquo;An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters.&rdquo; He described the attack as part of ongoing US military operations against Iran. Sri Lanka swiftly mounted a rescue operation, deploying naval vessels and aircraft. Authorities recovered 32 crew members alive, while 148 sailors remain missing. Colombo has also confirmed the recovery of dozens of bodies as search efforts continue. New Delhi, however, has issued no official public response, drawing criticism from analysts and opposition figures. Strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney called the incident &ldquo;a strategic embarrassment for New Delhi,&rdquo; saying the US attack on a naval guest raised &ldquo;uncomfortable questions about India&rsquo;s authority in its own backyard.&rdquo; He added that the strike &ldquo;violated the unwritten code of naval hospitality&rdquo; and sent a troubling signal that &ldquo;attending India&rsquo;s exercises may not guarantee safety once [ships] sail away.&rdquo; Opposition leaders echoed the criticism. Indian National Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera asked whether India had lost influence in its immediate region, writing that the strategic space may have been &ldquo;quietly ceded to Washington and Tel Aviv.&rdquo; Another party official, Sumit Dubey, urged the government to assert itself, saying, &ldquo;Strategic autonomy means principle, not silence.&rdquo; The silence has also been criticized previously within India over <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-embassy-warns-of-imminent-attack-in-eastern-saudi-arabia" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">regional</a> developments. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi wrote that New Delhi&rsquo;s lack of response to the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/state-funeral-for-ayatollah-khamenei-to-begin-wednesday-evening" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">killing</a> of Iran&rsquo;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amounted to &ldquo;abdication, not neutrality.&rdquo; Her son, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, publicly pressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify India&rsquo;s position. &ldquo;Does he support the assassination of a head of state as a way to define the world order?&rdquo; Rahul Gandhi asked. &ldquo;Silence now diminishes India&rsquo;s standing in the world.&rdquo; As regional tensions escalate, critics say India&rsquo;s continued silence risks undermining its claims of strategic autonomy and leadership in the Indian Ocean.

India

Civil society figures and opposition leaders in India accuse the Modi government of strategic silence, warning that failure to respond to the sinking of an Iranian naval guest undermines India’s credibility, maritime authority and claims of strategic autonomy in the Indian Ocean.

India faces scrutiny after US sinks Iranian naval exercise guest frigate

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy has assumed command of Combined Task Force-150 (CTF-150) for the 14th time, according to a post on X shared on Thursday by the Director General Public Relations of the Pakistan Navy. The post stated that the change-of-command ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) in Bahrain.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2016796036925423781&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=a64b53aba381a2c67feb26af5b8ce9d802527df9&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Commodore Muhammad Yasir Tahir took over&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/90-midshipmen-34-cadets-graduate-from-pakistan-naval-academy" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">command</a>&nbsp;of CTF-150 from Commodore Fahad S Al Jowaid of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces. Deterring illicit traffickingThe statement reaffirmed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-navy-showcases-modern-warfare-capabilities-in-north-arabian-sea" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan Navy&rsquo;s</a>&nbsp;enduring commitment to regional maritime security. CTF-150 operates under CMF and is tasked with deterring <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-navy-conducts-firing-of-surfacetoair-missile-at-sea" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">illicit trafficking across</a>&nbsp;the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Oman. According to the post, the ceremony was attended by senior naval leadership and diplomats.

Security

Commodore Muhammad Yasir Tahir takes over command of CTF-150 from Commodore Fahad S Al Jowaid of Royal Saudi Naval Forces; CTF-150 is tasked with deterring illicit trafficking across Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Gulf of Oman.

Articles tagged with "Indian Ocean"

India faces scrutiny after US sinks Iranian naval exercise guest frigate

Pakistan Navy assumes command of Combined Task Force-150