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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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The Pentagon has released footage of the moment a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian ship with a torpedo in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the attack at a briefing on Wednesday morning. He said it is the first time a U.S. submarine has sunk an enemy vessel with a torpedo since World War II, and called it "quiet death."
The Iranian frigate involved was the IRIS Dena. The Sri Lankan Navy said it had rescued 32 Iranian sailors after the attack, which happened off its coast, and taken them to a hospital.
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"Yesterday, in the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters," Hegseth said.
"Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II."
Sri Lankan authorities said Iranians had died in the sinking but did not give a toll. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing.
The U.S. said one of its goals in its war with Iran is to destroy Iranian naval capabilities.
Iran has said it will close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for the global oil and gas trade. The Iranian navy would play a large role in Tehran's attempt to close the strait.
But U.S. President Donald Trump said the American navy would escort tankers through the strait if necessary.
At least 17 Iranian naval vessels have been sunk during the ongoing war, said U.S. Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads the American military’s Central Command.
“We are also sinking the Iranian navy—the entire navy,” he said in a video message.
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Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Sri Lanka's parliament that the navy had received information that the ship IRIS Dena, with 180 people on board, was in distress and sinking.
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The island nation sent ships and air force planes on a rescue mission, he said.
Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said by the time navy ships reached the location, there was no sign of the ship and “there were only some oil patches and life rafts. We found people floating on the water.”
Sampath said there were several dead bodies in the sea but declined to give an exact number.
Dr. Anil Jasinghe, a top health ministry official, said one of those rescued is in critical condition, seven are receiving emergency treatment, and others are being treated for minor injuries.
Iran's IRIS Dena Ship
The IRIS Dena, one of Iran’s newest warships, is a Moudge-class frigate that patrols in deep water for the Iranian navy. It is armed with heavy guns, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, and torpedoes. It also carries one helicopter.
The frigate was the centerpiece of a two-ship international tour in 2023 that included port calls in countries including South Africa and Brazil. It was accompanied by the support ship IRIS Makran, a converted oil tanker.
The U.S. Treasury Department included both ships on a sanctions designation in February 2023, along with eight executives of an Iranian drone manufacturer that supplied the weapons to Russia for use against civilian targets in Ukraine.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
Update 3/4/26, 10:25 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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