U.S. Submarine Attack Near Sri Lanka
A United States submarine has sunk an Iranian naval warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, killing dozens of sailors and dramatically expanding the conflict between Washington and Tehran.
Sri Lanka’s deputy foreign minister identified the vessel as the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which was reportedly returning to Iran after participating in a naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal. The incident occurred hundreds of miles from the Persian Gulf, marking a significant widening of the war zone.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the attack at the Pentagon, saying the submarine used torpedoes in what he described as a swift and decisive strike.
Casualties and Rescue Efforts
Hospital authorities in the Sri Lankan port city of Galle reported that at least 87 bodies had been brought to local medical facilities following the attack.
Rescue teams recovered 32 survivors, while approximately 60 crew members remain missing from an estimated 180 personnel believed to have been on board the warship at the time of the strike.
Sri Lankan naval teams responded after receiving a distress call early in the morning. Officials said rescuers initially found only an oil slick and debris before locating survivors and bodies floating in the water.
Sri Lanka Launches Search Operation
Sri Lanka launched a joint search-and-rescue mission involving the navy and other emergency services. Naval spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said rescue vessels quickly moved to the site after the distress signal was received.
Although the incident occurred outside Sri Lankan territorial waters, authorities said the country remained committed to assisting with humanitarian rescue operations.
Bodies recovered from the sea were transported to Karapitiya Hospital in Galle, where they were moved to the morgue for identification.
Iranian Warship Recently Joined International Naval Exercise
The IRIS Dena had recently taken part in the MILAN multinational naval exercise organized by India in the Bay of Bengal between February 18 and 25.
According to the exercise website, the vessel was listed as IRINS Dena, another prefix used for ships of the Iranian navy. The frigate is part of Iran’s Moudge-class fleet and typically operates within the country’s Southern Fleet.
Conflict Expands Beyond the Gulf
The sinking of the Iranian warship marks a major expansion of the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, which had previously been concentrated in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.
The attack in the Indian Ocean underscores the widening geographical scope of the war, raising concerns among analysts that naval clashes could increasingly threaten international shipping routes across Asia and the Middle East.