India, March 6 -- With one ill-thought-out action, the US has recklessly expanded its conflict with Iran and brought it to India's doorstep. The sinking of the Iranian Navy frigate IRIS Dena by a US submarine close to Sri Lanka - days after it left Indian waters following its participation in an International Fleet Review and a multi-nation exercise hosted by the Indian Navy - is the action of a belligerent power that has no regard for the security concerns of India. Sri Lankan officials have confirmed that only 32 crew members of IRIS Dena were rescued and 87 bodies recovered so far. Since the end of World War II, this is only the fourth instance of a ship being torpedoed and sunk. It would appear the US submarine that carried out the premeditated attack had been operating for some time in waters that India perceives as its strategic backyard, and tracking the Iranian warship before launching its strike. IRIS Dena was no longer in Indian waters when the attack happened, but it is also true that it was where it was only because Iran was invited by India to the two major events held in Visakhapatnam last month to foster regional trust and interoperatability between navies to shore up a rules-based maritime order. The attack was unlawful and an affront to India, especially as the US submarine did not act in self-defence, which would have been permissible under Article 51 of the UN Charter. As former Indian Navy chief, Admiral Arun Prakash, put it, this was nothing less than a "senseless and inflammatory act" that opens another dimension of violence in an open-ended conflict and could potentially disrupt seaborne commerce. The US should walk its talk about the importance of its partnership with India, and not impetuously imperil the country's national security, even if New Delhi does not voice its protest over the incident....