A United States Navy submarine has torpedoed and sunk an Iranian naval frigate in the Indian Ocean, south of Sri Lanka, in what U.S. officials describe as the first such attack on an enemy vessel since World War II.
The targeted ship, the Moudge-class frigate IRIS Dena, sank in international waters after the strike. Sri Lankan authorities recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 survivors, who were taken to a hospital in Galle for treatment. Officials estimate that around 61 crew members remain missing from the vessel’s complement of approximately 180 personnel. The Sri Lankan Navy responded to a distress signal and continues search operations.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the action during a Pentagon briefing, stating that an American submarine fired a torpedo at the Iranian warship. He described the incident as delivering “quiet death,” noting that the vessel “thought it was safe in international waters” but was instead struck unexpectedly. Hegseth emphasized the strike as a demonstration of U.S. military capabilities amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, marking a significant escalation that extends operations well beyond the Middle East.
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The Pentagon released rare footage showing a periscope view followed by a distant explosion, an unusual step in documenting and publicizing a submarine engagement. Officials indicated the attack was carried out using a single Mk 48 heavyweight torpedo.
The IRIS Dena had recently participated in the MILAN 2026 multilateral naval exercise hosted by India in the Bay of Bengal, an event focused on enhancing interoperability among participating navies through activities such as anti-submarine warfare and search-and-rescue operations. The frigate, which also attended the 2024 edition of MILAN, was returning to Iran when the incident occurred.
Defense analysts suggest it is plausible that a U.S. submarine may have been monitoring the Iranian vessel during its transit to and from the exercise, a standard intelligence-gathering practice among naval forces.
The sinking aligns with broader U.S. and Israeli objectives in the campaign against Iran, including the systematic degradation of its naval assets. The event has raised concerns about maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region, far from the primary theater of conflict in the Persian Gulf.
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