Over 85 dead as US sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka coast
IRIS Dena 75, an Iranian warship, sank off Sri Lanka coast in the Indian Ocean after it was attacked by US submarines, the Americans said Wednesday March 04, 2026.
[IRIS Dena 75 in a file image]
IRIS Dena 75, an Iranian warship, sank off Sri Lanka coast in the Indian Ocean after it was attacked by US submarines, the Americans said Wednesday March 04, 2026.
IRIS Dena, a Moudge class frigate, also came to India in 2024 to participate in the multilateral naval exercise MILAN, the same exercise's 2026 edition from where it was sailing back to Iran when the US submarine attacked it.
As many as 87 people onboard the ship have been killed and some 32 others have been saved by the Sri Lankan rescue team.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth claimed the responsibility, saying “an American submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean”.
He said the ship was sunk by a torpedo on Tuesday, and that it died a "quiet death".
Hegseth did not name the ship, but his announcement came after Sri Lankan officials said its navy had responded to a distress call from an Iranian ship on Wednesday morning named the Iris Dena, which had gone down about 40km (25 miles) from its southern coastline, according to BBC.
The attack on the Iranian warship came in the midst of US-Israeli joint military operation against Iran which started on Saturday February 28, 2026.
As per the latest report Wednesday, over 1,000 people have been killed in Iran whereas Iran's Security Chief, Ali Larijani, has claimed the US has lost around 500 soldiers since Saturday.
Israel is infamous for hiding its actual losses, it had however reported killing of 9 of its citizens in Iran's missile attack Saturday.
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