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The United States has confirmed that one of its submarines sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka, marking the first time an enemy vessel has been destroyed by a US torpedo since the Second World War.
Speaking on Wednesday, United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said an American submarine had targeted and sunk the Iranian naval vessel that had been operating in international waters off the southern coast of Sri Lanka.
“Yesterday in the Indian Ocean… an American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death.
“The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, Like in that war, back when we were still the War Department, we are fighting to win.”
.@SECWAR “In the Indian Ocean—an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship, that thought it was safe in international waters.
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) March 4, 2026
Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo—Quiet Death.
The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War 2. Like in that war—back when we were… pic.twitter.com/Y97YQBxQza
The admission comes after Sri Lankan authorities launched a major search and rescue operation off the southern coast near the city of Galle following a distress call from the Iranian navy vessel IRIS Dena, a Moudge class frigate.
The US Department of War released video footage of the strike.
https://t.co/PiqQpVIrMu pic.twitter.com/Wc1e0B0um7
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) March 4, 2026
Earlier reports, including those cited by Reuters from sources in Sri Lanka’s navy and defence ministry, stated that at least 101 personnel were missing and dozens wounded after the vessel was struck at sea. Sri Lankan naval vessels and aircraft were dispatched to the scene after receiving the distress signal in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that around 180 sailors had been aboard the vessel when the incident occurred. Several survivors were rescued from the water and taken to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle for treatment.
Sri Lanka Navy spokesperson Buddhika Sampath said naval personnel responding to the distress call found survivors floating in the sea and transferred them to hospital.
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Photograph: The crew of IRIS Dena taking part in an Indian naval exercise last month.
“Though it was beyond our waters, it is within our search and rescue region. We are the first responders as per the international obligations,” he said.
“We found people floating in the water and rescued them. Later on, we found upon inquiring that they belonged to the Iranian ship. We swiftly transferred them to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment,” he added.
Sampath confirmed that bodies believed to be from the vessel had also been discovered during search operations.
“We suspect the dead bodies also belong to the same ship as we found them in the demarcated area,” he said.
According to Sri Lankan officials, when navy vessels first reached the coordinates of the distress call, the ship itself could not be located and only traces of oil were visible on the surface.
Despite reports in foreign media that the vessel may have been attacked, the Sri Lanka Navy initially said the cause of the incident could not yet be confirmed and stated that the priority remained ongoing rescue operations.
“We will do technical investigations following the rescue and operations. As the Sri Lanka Navy, we completely reject these reports,” Sampath said earlier, adding that the incident was being treated as an accident while investigations continued.
The IRIS Dena, commissioned in 2021, is one of the Iranian navy’s most modern warships and forms part of its Southern Fleet. The vessel had recently participated in the MILAN 2026 multinational naval exercise and fleet review in Visakhapatnam, India, before the incident.
Search and rescue efforts by Sri Lanka’s navy and air force are continuing in the waters off Galle as authorities attempt to locate those still missing.
