A United States submarine has sunk an Iranian Navy vessel in the Indian Ocean, dramatically widening the geographic scope of the ongoing Iran and US-Israel conflict. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed Wednesday that an American submarine fired a torpedo that destroyed the Iranian warship IRIS Dena west of Sri Lanka, leaving dozens feared dead and many others missing.
The attack occurred roughly 4,000 kilometres from Iran, placing the incident close to South Asia’s maritime routes and far from the Middle East theatre where tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States have largely unfolded.
According to early reports, the Iranian vessel had about 140 sailors on board when the torpedo struck. Sri Lankan naval forces responded to a distress signal and rescued several crew members. Reuters reported 101 sailors missing and 78 wounded, while the Straits Times said 32 critically injured survivors were recovered from the sea.
Hegseth confirmed the attack, stating the strike targeted an Iranian warship operating in international waters, “an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters…Instead it was sunk by a torpedo”.
Although Hegseth did not identify the vessel by name, Sri Lankan naval authorities earlier reported receiving a distress call from the IRIS Dena about 40 kilometres west of Galle, a major coastal city in southern Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that two navy vessels and a surveillance aircraft were immediately dispatched after the distress signal was received at 5:08 a.m. local time. Rescued sailors were transported to Karapitiya Hospital in Galle for treatment.
Sri Lankan navy officials said the rescue mission followed procedures under the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue.
The IRIS Dena had recently participated in the multinational naval exercise Milan hosted by India in Visakhapatnam. The event brought together naval forces from 74 countries including Australia, Japan, South Korea, Russia and others.
Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani also met with India’s Chief of Naval Staff during the gathering to discuss maritime security cooperation under the theme “United through Oceans.”
The exercise concluded February 25. Three days later, the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury, escalating military pressure on Iran.
Notably, the US Navy had originally planned to send the guided missile destroyer USS Pinckney to the Milan exercise but diverted the vessel to Singapore on February 15, leaving Washington without a warship present at the event attended by Russian and Iranian ships.
The sinking of the IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka signals a significant expansion of the conflict’s operational reach into the Indian Ocean. Analysts note the location of the attack places a major global shipping corridor closer to the unfolding confrontation.
With dozens of sailors still missing and diplomatic tensions rising, the incident raises new concerns about maritime security and the possibility of further military activity across key international sea lanes in the region.
