A U.S. submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian naval vessel off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, killing at least 80 sailors, officials said Wednesday, in a dramatic escalation of Washington’s military campaign against Iran’s navy.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that the target was the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which was returning to Iran after participating in a naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal.
“An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death.”
Sri Lanka’s deputy foreign minister said the ship had about 180 personnel on board when it was struck. At least 80 were reported dead, though the toll could rise as search operations continue.
Sri Lanka launched a rescue mission after receiving a distress call from the vessel. Naval units recovered survivors and bodies from waters south of the island.
Officials said 32 crew members were rescued and taken to a hospital in the southern port city of Galle, while search teams continued combing the area for additional survivors.
Sri Lankan navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said rescue boats arriving at the scene encountered a large oil slick, indicating the warship had sunk rapidly after the strike. The attack occurred outside Sri Lankan territorial waters, but Colombo said it would continue supporting the rescue effort.
“We are hopeful we can rescue more people and will continue operations until we are certain no more survivors remain,” Sampath said.
The IRIS Dena had recently participated in the Milan multilateral naval exercise hosted by India from February 18 to 25 in the Bay of Bengal. The drill brought together several regional navies.
Iranian naval vessels typically carry the prefix IRIS (Islamic Republic of Iran Ship), though some official documents also use IRINS (Islamic Republic of Iran Naval Ship).
The sinking marks one of the most direct naval confrontations of the rapidly expanding conflict between the United States and Iran, which has intensified across the Middle East and surrounding waters in recent days.