US confirms ‘first since World War II’ torpedo strike on Iranian warship near Sri Lanka; over 140 missing

A United States submarine torpedoed and sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in international waters off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday. Describing it as the “first such attack on an enemy since World War II,” Hegseth confirmed the strike during a Pentagon briefing, marking a dramatic escalation in the ongoing regional conflict.

Sri Lanka’s government said it recovered several bodies and rescued 32 wounded sailors after the frigate sank about 40 nautical miles off Galle, just outside the island’s territorial waters. The vessel, which reportedly had around 180 crew members on board, sent out a distress call between 6am and 7am local time before going down. A large-scale search and rescue operation remains underway as authorities attempt to trace the nearly 150 other crew members.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that naval ships and air force aircraft were dispatched immediately after information about the distress call was received. A navy spokesperson stated that no other ship or aircraft was observed in the vicinity when the incident occurred. Injured sailors were transported to a hospital in Galle for treatment.

Sri Lanka’s deputy foreign minister said at least 80 people were killed in the strike. Officials indicated that the immediate priority was rescue and medical assistance, while further details about the sequence of events would be examined subsequently. Iranian embassy representatives in Colombo have reportedly sent officials to Galle to interact with survivors.

The sinking occurred amid intensifying hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran. With air strikes and retaliatory drone and missile attacks continuing across the region, the destruction of the IRIS Dena adds a significant maritime dimension to an already volatile conflict.