READ: The sinking of IRIS Dena — A quiet death of the rules-based order

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Iran’s IRIS Dena had 180 crew members aboard. At least 87 are now confirmed dead, another 32 were rescued and about 60 people were likely unaccounted for, Sri Lankan ​authorities said.

Pete Hegseth called it a “quiet death”.

What “quiet death” reveals is not a military assessment but a doctrine: we can do this, anywhere, to anyone, and frame it as dominance rather than law.

The San Remo Manual on the laws of naval warfare — the same framework the US cited for four decades against Iranian conduct in the Persian Gulf — requires neutral state notification, precaution before attack, and verified military necessity.

Sri Lanka received no warning. The IRIS Dena reportedly carried no ordnance.

Read more here.

 A Sri Lanka Navy vessel approaches an Iranian vessel during a rescue operation, a day after the crew of a distressed Iranian military ship, IRIS Dena were assisted in waters south of Sri Lanka, off the coast of Colombo, Sri Lanka on March 5, 2026. — Sri Lanka Navy/Handout via Reuters/File
A Sri Lanka Navy vessel approaches an Iranian vessel during a rescue operation, a day after the crew of a distressed Iranian military ship, IRIS Dena were assisted in waters south of Sri Lanka, off the coast of Colombo, Sri Lanka on March 5, 2026. — Sri Lanka Navy/Handout via Reuters/File

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