India and France call for end to Iran conflict as IRIS Dena sinking raises new regional stakes

India’s Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has formally called for an early cessation of hostilities and a return to dialogue and diplomacy as the military conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran entered its fifth day. The committee’s statement came as the conflict expanded dramatically to the Indian Ocean on 4 March 2026, when a United States Navy submarine sank the Iranian Navy frigate IRIS Dena approximately 40 nautical miles south of Galle, Sri Lanka, marking the first torpedo sinking of an enemy vessel by an American submarine since the Second World War.

The military campaign, designated Operation Epic Fury, was launched on 28 February 2026 when United States and Israeli forces conducted coordinated strikes against Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with senior military and government officials. The strikes followed the breakdown of indirect nuclear talks in Geneva on 26 February, during which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had described a potential agreement as within reach. Iran responded by launching missile and drone attacks against United States military installations and Gulf Arab states including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The conflict subsequently expanded to Lebanon, where the Hezbollah militant group resumed rocket fire against northern Israel for the first time since the November 2024 ceasefire agreement.

India’s Cabinet Committee on Security was briefed on the strikes on Iran and on the subsequent escalation across the Gulf region. The committee expressed serious concern over the safety and security of approximately nine million Indian nationals residing in the West Asia region, and directed all concerned government departments to take necessary and feasible measures to assist affected Indian citizens. The committee also reviewed difficulties faced by Indian travellers transiting the region and students appearing for scheduled examinations. The committee’s formal statement underscored the importance of an early cessation of hostilities and a return to dialogue and diplomacy.

India’s diplomatic engagement during the crisis has included Prime Minister Modi speaking by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 1 March 2026, conveying India’s concerns and emphasising civilian protection as a priority. Modi spoke separately with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, strongly condemning recent attacks on the United Arab Emirates and reaffirming India’s solidarity with the country. Modi also called Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, condemning attacks on Saudi Arabia and affirming that the earliest restoration of regional peace and stability was of utmost importance. At a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in New Delhi on 2 March 2026, Modi stated that the current situation in West Asia was a matter of deep concern and that India supported the resolution of all disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.

How did the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena come to be sunk in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka, and what does it mean for India?

The conflict reached a significant and geographically unprecedented threshold on 4 March 2026 when a United States Navy submarine destroyed the Iranian Navy frigate IRIS Dena using a Mark 48 heavyweight torpedo in international waters approximately 40 nautical miles south of Galle on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the sinking at a Pentagon briefing, describing it as the first sinking of an enemy warship by a torpedo since the Second World War. General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that the United States had by that point destroyed more than 20 Iranian naval vessels, one Iranian submarine, and had effectively neutralised Iran’s major naval presence in the primary theatre of operations. United States Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated that the declared objective was to sink the entire Iranian Navy.

The IRIS Dena was a 1,500-tonne Moudge-class frigate that had been participating in India’s multilateral naval exercise MILAN at Visakhapatnam from 19 to 25 February 2026. The 13th edition of the exercise was inaugurated by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and included 18 warships from nations across the world. The vessel was transiting back to Iran through the Indian Ocean when it was struck. The Sri Lanka Navy confirmed the rescue of 32 survivors and the recovery of 87 bodies from the waters near the southern Sri Lankan coast. Sri Lanka’s Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force conducted search and rescue operations in the immediate area.

The incident introduced considerable diplomatic complexity for India. New Delhi had hosted both United States and Iranian naval vessels at MILAN just days before the strike. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh described the situation as extraordinary and called the Indian government’s silence shocking. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated that the conflict had reached India’s backyard and warned that India’s oil supplies were under threat, with more than 40 percent of Indian imports transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts noted that the strike represents the first expansion of the United States-Iran conflict to United States 7th Fleet waters and raises questions about the security of India’s Chabahar port project in Iran, a facility in which India has invested over one billion United States dollars, and the viability of the broader International North-South Transport Corridor initiative.

What is France’s position on the Iran conflict and why did President Macron order the Charles de Gaulle carrier deployment?

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the French nation on 3 March 2026, ordering the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, its air assets, and its frigate escort to deploy to the Mediterranean in response to the widening conflict. Macron confirmed that French forces had already shot down Iranian drones in what he described as legitimate self-defence during the first hours of the conflict, to protect allied airspace. He cited the Iranian strike on a British Royal Air Force base on Cyprus, a European Union member state with which France has recently concluded a strategic partnership, as a key reason for the carrier deployment.

Macron stated that France could not approve of the strikes by Israel and the United States because they were conducted outside the framework of international law. He described it as desirable that the strikes end as quickly as possible and stated that lasting peace in the region could only be achieved through the resumption of diplomatic negotiations. Macron called on Iran to engage in good faith negotiations to end its nuclear and ballistic programmes and its regional destabilisation activities. He simultaneously called on Hezbollah to cease all strikes against Israel and warned Israel against launching a ground operation in Lebanon, calling it both a dangerous escalation and a strategic error.

The deployment of the Charles de Gaulle forms part of a broader French effort to build a coalition aimed at resuming maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and securing the Red Sea and Suez Canal. France has binding defence agreements with Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, and has affirmed strong commitments to Jordan and Iraq. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed the deployment of Rafale fighter jets to Al-Dhafra base near Abu Dhabi to protect French military personnel and facilities. France has hundreds of navy, air force, and army personnel stationed across the Gulf region.

On 1 March 2026, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom jointly condemned Iran’s missile attacks against countries in the region as indiscriminate and disproportionate, warning that they were prepared to take necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones. The three governments separately stated that they were not party to the initial United States and Israeli strikes on Iran.

What international responses has the West Asia conflict triggered beyond India and France?

The calls for diplomacy from New Delhi and Paris are consistent with a broader international effort to establish conditions for de-escalation. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the United States and Israeli strikes as squandering an opportunity for diplomacy and condemned both the initial strikes and Iran’s retaliatory attacks. China condemned the killing of Khamenei as a violation of the United Nations Charter. Russia described the United States and Israeli attack as an unprovoked act of armed aggression. Turkey pledged intensified efforts toward a ceasefire. The United Nations Security Council met in emergency session on 28 February 2026 but reached no resolution or vote on the military action.

India’s geographic and economic exposure to the conflict is substantial. Approximately two-thirds of India’s crude oil imports and half of its liquefied natural gas imports transit the Strait of Hormuz, according to former Indian Ambassador to Oman Anil Wadhwa. Prolonged disruption of the strait would force rerouting through the Cape of Good Hope, raising transport costs and accelerating inflation. The Indian rupee weakened to 91 against the United States dollar following reports of a fire at a Saudi oil industry zone caused by drone debris during the conflict. Former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal noted that India’s growing ties with West Asia across trade, investment, energy, technology, defence, and human capital now face immediate threat.

What do the Modi and Macron diplomatic positions mean for the West Asia conflict and international efforts to end the war?

• India has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to dialogue, expressed concern over the safety of nine million Indian nationals in West Asia, and condemned attacks on Gulf Arab allies including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, while refraining from commenting directly on the initial United States and Israeli strikes on Iran or on the killing of Khamenei.

• France has stated that the United States and Israeli strikes were not conducted within the framework of international law, called for a quick end to the strikes, and affirmed that lasting peace requires the resumption of diplomatic negotiations, while simultaneously deploying the Charles de Gaulle carrier group to the Mediterranean and condemning Iranian retaliatory attacks on allied countries.

• The sinking of the IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean represents the first extension of Operation Epic Fury to United States 7th Fleet waters and has introduced new geopolitical sensitivities for India, given that the Iranian vessel had recently participated in India’s own MILAN naval exercise.

• India’s Cabinet Committee on Security called for an early cessation of hostilities and a return to dialogue and diplomacy following the commencement of Operation Epic Fury on 28 February 2026 and the subsequent escalation across the Gulf region and Indian Ocean.

• The United States Navy sank the Iranian Navy frigate IRIS Dena on 4 March 2026, approximately 40 nautical miles south of Galle, Sri Lanka, in the first torpedo sinking of an enemy warship by an American submarine since the Second World War; 32 survivors were rescued and 87 bodies recovered.

• The IRIS Dena had participated in India’s MILAN naval exercise at Visakhapatnam alongside United States Navy vessels just days before the strike, creating diplomatic sensitivities for New Delhi.

• French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Mediterranean, stated that the United States and Israeli strikes fell outside international law, and called for a rapid resumption of diplomatic negotiations to achieve lasting peace.

• India’s energy security is directly at risk: approximately two-thirds of its crude oil imports and half of its liquefied natural gas imports transit the Strait of Hormuz, which faces disruption threats as the conflict continues to widen.