US Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship off Sri Lanka, Killing at Least 87 Sailors
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A United States Navy submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean approximately 40 kilometres south of the Sri Lankan port city of Galle on March 3, 2026, according to US and Sri Lankan officials, dramatically expanding the geographical scope of the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran .
The attack on the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena killed at least 87 sailors and left dozens more missing, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament. Rescuers recovered 32 wounded crew members who were transported to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle for medical treatment, officials said .
The vessel was carrying approximately 180 personnel when it was struck, according to Sri Lankan authorities who coordinated the rescue operation after receiving a distress call from the ship .
US Confirms Attack, Describes ‘Quiet Death’
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed at a Pentagon briefing that an American submarine carried out the strike on the Iranian vessel. “In the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death,” Hegseth told reporters .
Hegseth described the action as “the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II” and said the United States is “fighting to win” .
General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the strike “an incredible demonstration of America’s global reach to hunt, find and kill an out-of-area deployer.” He said the torpedo “sent the warship to the bottom of the sea” .
A Pentagon video shared on social media purporting to show the attack depicted a warship being hit by a large explosion that blew apart the rear of the vessel, lifting it from the water and causing it to begin sinking from the stern . The deck shape and mast of the vessel in the video matched file imagery of the IRIS Dena class, according to observers .
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Wednesday that American forces have struck or sunk more than 20 Iranian ships since the conflict with Tehran began . In a separate statement, CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper said US forces have destroyed 17 Iranian naval vessels, including “the most operational Iranian submarine that now has a hole in its side” .
Sri Lanka Launches Rescue Operation
Sri Lankan authorities responded to a distress call from the Iranian vessel early Wednesday morning, dispatching navy ships and aircraft to the area approximately 40 kilometres south of Galle .
Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said that when responders reached the location, they found no sign of the ship and observed “only an oil slick” and life rafts .
“We found people floating in the water and rescued them. Later on, we found upon inquiring that they belonged to the Iranian ship,” Sampath told reporters .
The commander of the warship and some senior officers were among the survivors and told Sri Lankan navy personnel that they were hit by a submarine attack, two Sri Lankan sources told Reuters .
Rescuers brought bodies, covered in white sheets, in batches by truck to the Karapitiya hospital in Galle, where they were moved to the morgue . Hospital authorities said 87 bodies were received, with 32 wounded crew members undergoing treatment .
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Herath confirmed that search operations are continuing for dozens of missing crew members from the estimated 180 personnel on board .
Vessel’s Recent Participation in Indian Naval Exercises
The IRIS Dena had participated in the Milan 2026 multinational naval exercise and International Fleet Review hosted by the Indian Navy in the Bay of Bengal from February 15 to 25, according to officials . The ship was returning to Iran following the drills when it was struck .
The Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command had posted on social media on February 17 welcoming the IRIS Dena’s participation, describing it as a reflection of “long-standing cultural links between the two nations” . Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi met with Iran’s navy commander, Admiral Shahram Irani, during the event .
The United States was among the countries that sent ships, aircraft and observers to participate in the same naval exercises .
Indian officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the sinking .
Regional Reactions and Concerns
The attack has raised concerns among regional stakeholders about the security of the wider Indian Ocean and the expansion of the US-Iran conflict into new waters.
Sri Lankan Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa said the incident highlights how the ongoing war involving Iran is beginning to affect the wider Indian Ocean region. “This is a serious concern for Sri Lanka and also the Indian Ocean, and I’m sure for India as well,” Rajapaksa told NDTV. “The war is happening miles away and we can see movements in the Indian Ocean just 40 nautical miles from the Gulf in Sri Lanka” .
Rajapaksa questioned whether Sri Lanka’s government had prior knowledge of the US military operation and said authorities must clarify the matter publicly. “If they have been kept on guard then they have to bring this up with the relevant authorities and especially with the United States,” he said .
He called for broader discussions among South Asian countries, including India, about security in the Indian Ocean, saying “this is something that the region has to bring up together” .
Some Indian commentators expressed concern that the Iranian vessel was a “guest” at India’s naval exercises and had been given a ceremonial send-off before being attacked . Congress party spokeswoman Supriya Shrinate said on social media platform X: “In a huge offence to India, the US sank Iran’s IRIS Dena at the edge of Indian waters near Sri Lanka” .
Sri Lankans praised their navy’s search-and-rescue operation. “Proud that the Sri Lanka Navy immediately answered to the distress call made by the Iranian vessel and saved as many Iranian soldiers as possible,” Jamila Husain, editor of Daily Mirror, said on social media .
Iran Condemns Attack
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi condemned the attack, saying the United States would regret its action.
“The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores. Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning. Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set,” Araghchi posted on X .
Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported that 1,045 military personnel and civilians have been killed in the broader conflict since US-Israeli strikes began on February 28, though this figure could not be independently verified . The Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, an Iranian government-linked body, cited a similar toll .
Broader Conflict Intensifies
The sinking of the IRIS Dena is part of a wider US-Israeli military campaign against Iran launched on February 28, which according to US officials has killed several senior Iranian leaders including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .
CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper said US forces have struck nearly 2,000 Iranian targets with more than 2,000 munitions in the first 100 hours of the operation, claiming to have “severely degraded Iran’s air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran’s ballistic missiles, launchers and drones” .
CENTCOM said the Iranian side has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones in retaliation since the start of the strikes .
Iran has responded with drone and missile attacks targeting US-linked sites in Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia . The Pentagon has announced the deaths of six US service members since the conflict began .
The conflict has severely disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claiming “complete control” of the critical waterway and oil tanker transits plunging by 90 percent, according to energy market intelligence firm Kpler .
Incident Raises Questions Under International Law
The attack occurred in international waters, approximately 40 kilometres from Sri Lanka’s coast and far from the Persian Gulf where the main conflict has been concentrated . US officials said the vessel was targeted as part of a broader campaign to weaken Iran’s naval capabilities .
CENTCOM said Wednesday that American forces have struck or sunk more than 20 Iranian ships since the conflict began .
Search operations for missing crew members from the IRIS Dena continued Thursday, Sri Lankan officials said, with dozens of sailors still unaccounted for from the 180 personnel on board .
With inputs from:
Deccan Herald: IRIS Dena sunk post-India port
Telegraph: US sub Iranian warship Sri Lanka
Indian Express: IRIS Dena returning India sunk
Bloomberg: 1st torpedo since WWII
NavalNews: IRIS Dena(75) Hegseth confirmed
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