Pete Hegseth has stated that a United States submarine sank an Iranian warship using a torpedo in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka, describing the operation as the first attack of its kind by the U.S. military on an enemy naval vessel since World War II.
Hegseth disclosed this during a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday, adding that the strike targeted an Iranian military ship operating outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.
Sri Lankan authorities reported that several bodies were recovered while 32 wounded sailors were rescued following the sinking of the vessel.
The country’s deputy foreign minister told local media that at least 80 crew members were killed in the attack, though the figures have not been independently verified.
The Iranian frigate, identified as the IRIS Dena, reportedly sent out a distress signal between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. local time (00:30–01:30 GMT) on Wednesday after sustaining the strike.
The warship was believed to have carried about 180 personnel on board. A joint search-and-rescue operation was subsequently launched after the vessel sank roughly 40 nautical miles (about 75 km) off the southern coastal city of Galle.
Officials said the ship had recently returned from participating in the 2026 International Fleet Review held in Vishakhapatnam along India’s eastern coast.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that the navy received an emergency distress report and immediately dispatched naval vessels and air force aircraft to assist in rescue operations.
A Sri Lankan navy spokesperson confirmed that no other ships or aircraft were observed in the vicinity of the sinking.
The incident occurred amid escalating hostilities between United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, following airstrikes that reportedly killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several hundred others.
Iran has since launched drone and missile attacks targeting Israeli and U.S.-linked assets across parts of the Gulf region, with reports of casualties including several American service members.
The rapidly widening conflict has heightened global security concerns as both sides continue large-scale military operations with significant humanitarian and geopolitical implications.
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