Guwahati: A torpedo fired by a United States submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday. The Sri Lankan Navy, which launched an emergency search-and-rescue mission, confirmed it has recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 survivors from the waters off the island’s southern coast.
The sinking of the IRIS Dena, one of the Islamic Republic’s most modern frigates, marks a rare combat instance of a submarine sinking a surface vessel since World War II. At a Pentagon briefing, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the vessel as Iran’s “prize ship,” noting that it was struck while operating in international waters. The operation underscores a widening US-Israeli military campaign against Tehran, following President Donald Trump’s stated objective to dismantle Iran’s naval capabilities entirely.
The disaster unfolded rapidly after Sri Lankan authorities received a distress signal indicating the warship was sinking with approximately 180 people on board. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that the island nation immediately deployed ships and aircraft to the site. However, Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath reported that by the time rescuers arrived, the ship had already sunk. Search teams found only oil slicks, life rafts, and sailors floating in the open sea.
The survivors were rushed to the National Hospital in Galle, where medical officials confirmed that most are being treated for minor injuries, though one sailor remains in critical condition. The hospital has been placed under heavy guard by police and naval personnel as trucks arrive to transport the remains of the deceased to a makeshift mortuary.
The IRIS Dena was a sophisticated centerpiece of the Iranian fleet, armed with surface-to-air missiles and anti-ship weaponry. It had recently been under international scrutiny, having been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2023 for its links to drone manufacturers supplying weapons to Russia. Just last month, the vessel had participated in multilateral naval exercises in India, though the Indian Navy has yet to comment on its sinking.
The strike has sent diplomatic shockwaves through the region. US Central Command claimed in a social media statement that it has now “struck or sunk” more than 20 Iranian regime vessels as part of the ongoing conflict. Meanwhile, in the Gulf, a rift has opened between Tehran and Doha. While Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi insisted to his Qatari counterpart that Iranian retaliatory strikes would target only US interests, Qatari officials “categorically rejected” the claim, asserting their own right to self-defense and calling for an immediate end to the violence.