A U.S. Navy submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena with a torpedo in international waters off the southern coast of Sri Lanka — the first enemy ship destroyed by torpedo since World War II.
American forces have declared Iran’s entire naval fleet neutralized.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike at a Pentagon briefing Wednesday morning.
“Yesterday, in the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo — quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, we are fighting to win.”
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine offered more details at the same briefing.
“For the first time since 1945, a United States Navy fast attack submarine has sunk an enemy combatant ship using a single Mk-48 torpedo to achieve immediate effect, sending the warship to the bottom of the sea,” Caine said. “This is an incredible demonstration of America’s global reach. To hunt, find and kill an out-of-area deployer is something that only the United States can do at this type of scale.”
The IRIS Dena, a Moudge-class frigate assigned to Iran’s Southern Fleet, was operating roughly 40 nautical miles off the city of Galle when it sent a distress call between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. local time. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament the vessel had 180 personnel on board. Sri Lankan naval forces rescued 32 wounded sailors. At least 80 people were killed, according to the country’s deputy foreign minister. More than 140 remain missing.
The ship had reportedly been participating in a naval drill in the Bay of Bengal as recently as February 25 — appearing to have stayed in international waters in an attempt to avoid U.S. forces closer to home. The effort to hide failed.
The sinking of the Dena is part of a broader campaign that has completely destroyed Iran’s naval forces in less than a week. Caine confirmed Wednesday that U.S. strikes have destroyed more than 20 Iranian naval vessels and one submarine, and have “effectively neutralized, at this point in time, Iran’s major naval presence in theater.”
President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that Iran has “no navy” remaining. “They have no navy; it’s been knocked out. They have no air force; it’s been knocked out. They have no air detection — that’s been knocked out.”
The strikes are part of Operation Epic Fury, launched February 28 jointly with Israel. The campaign has hit more than 2,000 targets in Iran, including command and control centers, ballistic missile sites, naval vessels, and IRGC headquarters. U.S. B-2 stealth bombers struck Iran’s hardened ballistic missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs during the opening days of the operation.
Six American service members have been killed and ten wounded since operations began.
Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on U.S. military bases across the Gulf region, as well as attacks on civilian areas in Israel and other Gulf allies. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, an action that has disrupted roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply. U.S. officials said some shipping is still flowing through the strait.