South Asia in March 2026: the most important developments in security
South Asia's security picture in March 2026 was set by the Middle East war reaching the Indian Ocean. On March 4 a US submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka, the first sinking of an enemy warship by a US submarine since World War II. Reports put the dead between 87 and 104. The Sri Lankan Navy rescued 32 survivors, and 22 of them were moved to Koggala Air Force Base. A second Iranian ship came near the coast; Sri Lanka took custody of it and moved its 208 crew members to a naval camp. On March 20 Sri Lanka's president said the country had refused ground access to US warplanes.
The war also hit shipping and the region's citizens. On March 11 three cargo ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, and the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree was badly damaged with three crew missing. Iran admitted the attack, and Thailand condemned it and demanded an apology. Iran's foreign ministry said ships must now coordinate with its navy to pass; on March 23 Iran said the strait stays open to non-hostile countries. Thailand evacuated over 1,200 nationals from the conflict zone. The US moved two minesweepers to Malaysia, and a US warship believed to carry Marines passed through the Singapore Strait. On March 21 Iran fired two ballistic missiles towards Diego Garcia.
In Bangladesh, two Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in West Bengal in the murder of activist Sharif Osman Hadi, a case officials described as a step in resetting relations between India and Bangladesh. Troops guarded fuel depots after riots over oil prices, and on March 26 a bus that was boarding a ferry plunged into a river, killing at least 24 people.
In Southeast Asia, Indonesia signed a deal to buy BrahMos missiles from India. Myanmar took delivery of Russian Su-30SME fighter jets, and air strikes there killed dozens of people, including at least 18 children, according to local reports. Thailand's army intelligence chief warned of a possible third border clash with Cambodia.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.