US Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship in Indian Ocean as Conflict Escalates

US Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship in Indian Ocean as Conflict Escalates

The United States Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has confirmed that a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, marking a major escalation in the ongoing military confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Speaking at a press briefing, Hegseth said the Iranian naval vessel was destroyed by a torpedo on Tuesday, describing the incident as a decisive operation by American forces. He added that the ship “died a quiet death.” Though he initially did not identify the vessel, officials in Sri Lanka later said the ship involved was the IRIS Dena, an Iranian naval frigate.

Sri Lankan authorities said the warship sank about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the country’s southern coastline, prompting an emergency rescue operation by the Sri Lanka Navy after a distress signal was received early Wednesday.

Rescue teams recovered 80 bodies from the sea while 32 survivors were pulled from the water, according to a Sri Lankan defence official. Authorities believe as many as 180 people may have been aboard the vessel, based on the ship’s documentation.

The survivors, many of whom sustained serious injuries, were transported to a hospital in the southern port city of Galle, according to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath.

Iran strongly condemned the sinking of the warship, describing the incident as an “atrocity at sea.” Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, accused the United States of attacking a vessel that he said was travelling peacefully in international waters.

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“Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning,” Araghchi said in a statement posted on social media. He warned that the United States would “bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”

Earlier during the rescue operation, a Sri Lankan navy spokesman, Budhika Sampath, said responders initially did not see the vessel itself but discovered oil slicks and life rafts floating on the water. At that time, he had also rejected early reports suggesting that the ship had been attacked by a submarine.

Although the location of the sinking was outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, the spokesman explained that it fell within the country’s international search-and-rescue region, which obligated Sri Lanka to respond under global maritime protocols.

The IRIS Dena, launched in 2015, is a destroyer attached to Iran’s Southern Fleet, which operates mainly around the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. The vessel had recently taken part in the International Fleet Review 2026, a multinational naval exercise hosted by India.

Hegseth described the attack as historically significant, claiming it was “the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two.” While American submarines have not used torpedoes to sink an enemy vessel since World War II, other countries have deployed torpedoes in naval warfare in more recent decades.

Video footage released by the United States Department of Defense appeared to show a ship being struck by a powerful explosion, with the stern rising sharply before the vessel detonated.

The incident occurred amid rapidly escalating military tensions in the Middle East. The United States and Israel have continued to launch air strikes on Iran for a fifth consecutive day, with the Israeli military reporting attacks on security facilities across Tehran.

Israel has also expanded operations in Lebanon, conducting air strikes and deploying ground forces after the militant group Hezbollah launched rockets and drones toward Israeli territory.

Iran has reportedly responded with retaliatory attacks across the region, with fresh strikes reported in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Meanwhile, Turkey said its NATO-linked air defence systems intercepted an Iranian missile heading toward Turkish territory.

Amid the growing tensions, Sri Lanka has maintained a neutral position in the conflict, urging all parties to exercise restraint and pursue immediate de-escalation.

The country’s government said it would issue a formal message of condolence for all victims of the conflict, including Iranian officials killed during recent attacks, following the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, earlier in the crisis.

US Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship in Indian Ocean as Conflict Escalates