A U.S. submarine has reportedly sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka, resulting in the tragic loss of 87 lives, as confirmed by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a briefing at the Pentagon.
Details of the incident
During the briefing, Hegseth stated, “Yesterday, in the Indian Ocean…an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo.” He emphasized that this incident marks “the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II,” reiterating the U.S.’s commitment to military strength.
According to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, the Iranian vessel, known as the IRIS Dena, had a total of 180 personnel on board when it encountered distress. The Sri Lankan navy was alerted to the situation and promptly initiated a rescue operation, deploying ships and aircraft to assist in the emergency.
Casualties and recovery efforts
During the search, Sri Lankan naval forces have so far recovered 87 bodies and successfully rescued 32 individuals, who have since been hospitalized in Galle, located on the southern coast of the island. “While we were (doing) search operations, we found people floating in the water and rescued them and later on, subsequently, when we inquired them, we found that those people are belonging to the Iranian ship,” stated Buddhika Sampath, the spokesperson for the Sri Lankan Navy.
Officials noted that the Iranian naval ship sank outside of Sri Lanka’s territorial waters. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing as authorities continue to assess the situation.
The IRIS Dena was one of Iran’s more modern warships, equipped with advanced weaponry, including guns, missiles, and torpedoes. The vessel also had a helicopter onboard. This particular ship had been under U.S. sanctions since 2023, alongside eight officials from an Iranian drone manufacturer implicated in supplying arms to Russia for use against civilians in Ukraine.
According to the U.S. government, at least 17 Iranian ships have been reported sunk amid the ongoing conflict in the region, illustrating the escalating tensions and confrontations at sea.