Pentagon Confirms U.S. Submarine Torpedo Sank Iranian Warship Near Sri Lanka
The U.S. military says a Navy submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, releasing video of the strike as tensions with Tehran continue to escalate.
The attack pushes the conflict beyond the Persian Gulf and into wider international waters, raising new questions about how far the expanding confrontation could spread.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike Wednesday, saying an American attack submarine fired a single torpedo that destroyed the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena. The vessel was operating in international waters south of Sri Lanka when it was hit, according to U.S. officials and reporting from ABC News.
Sri Lankan authorities launched an emergency search and rescue operation after the ship transmitted a distress call. Officials say at least 87 bodies have been recovered and 32 sailors were pulled from the water, while dozens more were initially reported missing.
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“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said during a Pentagon briefing.
The IRIS Dena, commissioned in 2021, was one of Iran’s more modern warships and had recently participated in a multinational naval exercise hosted by India before transiting the Indian Ocean.
Military analysts say the strike highlights how the conflict between Iran and the U.S.-Israel coalition is expanding geographically, with naval forces now becoming a central part of the confrontation.
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The Pentagon has released periscope-style footage it says shows the moment the torpedo struck the ship, splitting the vessel before it sank beneath the surface.
Iran has not yet issued a full military response, but officials have warned that attacks on Iranian forces will bring retaliation.
For now, the sinking marks one of the most dramatic naval engagements of the conflict so far.
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