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  • US Defence Secretary says submarine sank Iranian warship in Indian Ocean

    Daily Pulse March 5, 2026

    US Defence Secretary says submarine sank Iranian warship in Indian Ocean

    Reported from the source

    Quick summary: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that an American submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday. The incident, which Iran condemned as an “atrocity,” involved the Iranian frigate Iris Dena, from which 80 bodies were recovered and 32 sailors rescued after it went down near Sri Lanka.

    US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that an American submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday using a torpedo, describing it as a “quiet death.” While Hegseth did not name the vessel, his announcement followed a distress call responded to by the Sri Lankan navy on Wednesday morning from an Iranian ship identified as the Iris Dena, which sank approximately 40km (25 miles) off Sri Lanka’s southern coast. Rescuers recovered 80 bodies from the frigate, and 32 individuals were rescued, according to Sri Lankan officials. Approximately 180 people were believed to have been aboard the Iris Dena. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US action, calling it an “atrocity at sea” and stating the “Frigate Dena” was struck without warning in international waters. Hegseth claimed this was the first sinking of an enemy ship by a US submarine using a torpedo since World War Two, though other nations have done so. Initially, a Sri Lankan navy spokesman had rejected reports of a submarine attack on the Iris Dena, noting rescuers only found oil patches and life rafts. The Iris Dena, a destroyer launched in 2015, had recently participated in a military exercise in India. This incident occurs amid ongoing US and Israeli air strikes on Iran, and reported retaliatory attacks by Iran. Sri Lanka has maintained neutrality in the conflict, calling for de-escalation. Its foreign minister also paid tribute to the recently assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader.

    Source: www.bbc.com