US Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship in Indian Ocean in First Torpedo Strike Since WWII

A US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, marking what the Pentagon calls the first such American attack on an enemy vessel since World War II.

Pentagon Confirms Torpedo Strike

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that an American submarine carried out the strike against an Iranian naval vessel operating in international waters.

"Yesterday in the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sank an Iranian warship that believed it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk with a torpedo," Pete Hegseth said.

Hegseth described the operation as the first time since World War II that the United States has sunk a foreign vessel using a torpedo.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine added that the United States has begun conducting strikes deeper inside Iranian territory.

Ship Identified as IRIS Dena

According to New India Express, the frigate IRIS Dena was returning to Iran after participating in naval exercises organized by India. The outlet reported that the Iranian vessel had been under surveillance by the US destroyer Pinckney.

A source cited by the publication suggested that a US nuclear-powered submarine based on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean may have taken part in the attack.

Rescue Operation Off Sri Lanka

On March 4, the government of Sri Lanka reported the recovery of several bodies and the rescue of 32 injured sailors after the Iranian warship sank approximately 40 kilometers south of the island's territorial waters.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, speaking to Channel News Asia, stated that around 180 crew members had been aboard the vessel.

A correspondent for Al Jazeera, reporting from a hospital in Galle where injured sailors were taken, said authorities were still trying to determine the fate of nearly 150 missing crew members.

Broader Naval Escalation

Commander of US Central Command General Brad Cooper stated that since the launch of military operations on February 28, US forces have destroyed 17 Iranian vessels, including a submarine, and struck 2,000 targets.

According to Cooper, no Iranian ships remain operational in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, or the Gulf of Oman.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it attacked American vessels in the Indian Ocean. The IRGC said it launched a missile strike from more than 600 kilometers off Iran's coast, targeting a US destroyer while it was refueling from an American tanker. The missiles reportedly used were identified as Qadr-380 and Talaie.

Earlier, experts interviewed by the newspaper "Izvestia” argued that even a significant loss of naval assets would not critically undermine Tehran's ability to block the Strait of Hormuz.