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Speaking at the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth described the torpedo strike as a “quiet death” and a historic first since WWII. Sri Lanka has confirmed heavy casualties, with dozens dead and many still missing.
The Pentagon has released dramatic footage showing the moment an Iranian warship was struck and destroyed by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean, marking a major escalation in the widening Middle East conflict.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that an American submarine torpedoed and sank Iran’s frigate IRIS Dena approximately 25 miles south of Sri Lanka.
“Yesterday, in the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said at a briefing at the Pentagon.
“Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo — a quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two.”
Heavy casualties confirmed
Sri Lankan authorities have confirmed at least 80 sailors were killed in the strike, with the toll expected to rise.
According to officials:
87 bodies have been recovered so far.
61 sailors remain missing.
32 sailors were rescued and are being treated at a hospital in Galle.
“We have collected 87 bodies, and a search is still on for the others who are still missing,” a Sri Lankan navy official told AFP.
The rescue operation was carried out by the Sri Lanka Navy.
Ship returning from India exercise
The IRIS Dena was reportedly returning from a joint naval exercise in India’s eastern port of Visakhapatnam when it was struck.
Officials said the ship exploded upon impact after being hit by the torpedo, before sinking into the Indian Ocean.
First Torpedo sinking since WWII
Hegseth described the strike as historic, calling it the first time since World War II that an enemy warship has been sunk by torpedo.
The incident comes amid escalating hostilities following US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets under President Donald Trump’s military campaign dubbed “Operation Epic Fury.”
Days earlier, the US military said it had targeted Iran’s largest naval warship.
Regional tensions soar
The sinking of the IRIS Dena marks a dramatic expansion of the conflict into international waters near South Asia, raising concerns about maritime security in the Indian Ocean.
Search operations are continuing as Sri Lankan authorities attempt to locate missing sailors.
English (US) ·