A U.S. Navy attack submarine torpedoed and destroyed an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean this week, marking the first time since World War II that an American submarine has sunk an enemy combat vessel, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Speaking at the Pentagon, Hegseth said the Iranian ship believed it was secure in international waters before it was struck. “Instead it was sunk by a torpedo — quiet death,” he told reporters, describing the strike as swift and decisive. Pentagon footage taken through a submarine periscope and later shared publicly appears to show the vessel splitting apart before disappearing beneath the surface.
U.S. officials said a single Mark 48 torpedo was used in the strike, producing what Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine called an “immediate effect,” sending the ship “to the bottom of the sea.” The last comparable U.S. submarine attack occurred in August 1945, when the USS Torsk sank two Japanese vessels shortly before Japan’s surrender.
Sri Lankan officials identified the ship as the IRIS Dena, sometimes referred to as the “Soleimani,” a name linked to Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a 2020 U.S. airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump. According to Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, 180 people were aboard at the time of the attack. The Sri Lankan navy said it recovered dozens of bodies and rescued 32 survivors, who were taken to a hospital in the southern port city of Galle. Rescue crews reported finding only debris and an oil slick when they reached the site, which lay outside Sri Lankan territorial waters. Despite the escalating conflict, Sri Lankan authorities emphasized that their immediate priority remains search-and-rescue efforts related to the sunken Iranian ship. “We are hopeful we can rescue more people and will continue [operations] until we are sure,” a navy spokesperson said.
The sinking comes amid a widening U.S. military offensive against Iran. U.S. Central Command said American forces have struck or destroyed more than 20 Iranian ships, including naval vessels and at least one submarine, since hostilities escalated last week. Caine said Iran’s major naval presence in the region has effectively been neutralized.
At Wednesday’s briefing, Hegseth and Caine said the campaign is intensifying. The U.S. now has control of Iranian airspace, they said, enabling a broader bombing effort using 500-, 1,000-, and 2,000-pound GPS- and laser-guided munitions, as well as Hellfire missiles. Additional bombers and fighter aircraft are arriving in the region, and officials indicated operations could continue for weeks. “We’re just getting started,” Hegseth said, arguing that Iran had engaged in negotiations without genuinely abandoning its nuclear ambitions. He maintained that U.S. action was defensive and aimed at protecting American personnel, allies, and interests.
The Pentagon says more than 2,000 targets inside Iran — including missile systems, command centers, naval assets, and Revolutionary Guard facilities — have been hit so far. Six U.S. service members have been killed and at least 10 seriously wounded. Caine publicly named four of the fallen and offered condolences to their families, noting that additional losses had been anticipated.
Iranian officials have sharply condemned the strikes. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned on social media that killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “will exact a heavy price from you.” Iran’s Red Crescent Society reported that at least 940 people have been killed in Iran since the fighting began.
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