U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Announces That a U.S. Submarine Sank an Iranian Warship in the Indian Ocean with a Torpedo
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that a U.S. Navy submarine sank the Iranian warship frigate IRIS Dena with a torpedo in international waters of the Indian Ocean.
The announcement was made during a press conference at the Pentagon, amid the escalation of Operation Epic Fury against the Iranian regime.
The frigate IRIS Dena, of the Moudge class and belonging to the southern fleet of the Iranian Navy, sank approximately 40 nautical miles south of Galle, Sri Lanka.
The vessel was returning from the multinational naval exercise MILAN 2026 in Visakhapatnam, India, when it issued a distress signal early this morning. Sri Lankan naval sources confirmed that the ship had approximately 180 crew members on board.
“An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo,” Hegseth declared to the media.
This marks the first sinking of an enemy vessel by torpedo since World War II, according to the Pentagon chief himself.The Sri Lankan Navy rescued 32 severely injured Iranian sailors and recovered several bodies; more than 100 crew members remain missing.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Vijitha Herath, informed Parliament about the search and rescue operation, although local authorities have not publicly confirmed the cause of the sinking.
This attack is part of Operation Epic Fury, launched by the U.S. and Israel on February 28, which has already destroyed multiple Iranian naval assets, including a Jamaran-class corvette in the Gulf of Oman, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).President Donald Trump has reported the destruction of at least nine Iranian warships in recent days.
Under the firm leadership of the current administration, these actions demonstrate that U.S. military force does not tolerate threats from the Iranian regime, unlike the weak policies of the past that only encouraged its aggression.
If you kill Americans — we will hunt you down, and we will kill you. Iran is learning the hard way that President Trump means what he says.
The Mark 48 torpedo employed marks a historic precedent and sends a strong and clear message: international waters are no refuge for enemy vessels.
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