At least 87 dead, dozens missing after US submarine sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka

At least 87 Iranian sailors have been confirmed dead after a United States submarine torpedoed the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lankan officials said Wednesday. Dozens more remain missing.

The attack took place about 40 kilometres south of Galle, within Sri Lanka’s designated search-and-rescue zone.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike in Washington, describing it as the first time since World War II that the United States has sunk an enemy vessel using a torpedo. He said the submarine targeted the Iranian warship in international waters.

Sri Lanka’s navy said it recovered 87 bodies from waters near Galle, while 61 sailors remain unaccounted for. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said 32 sailors were rescued, many with injuries, and are being treated at Karapitiya Hospital in Galle. Security was tightened at the facility as the wounded were brought in.

Navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath said the frigate issued a distress call at dawn. A rescue vessel arrived within an hour but found only debris and an oil slick, indicating the ship had already sunk.

The frigate had reportedly taken part in a military exercise at the Indian port city of Visakhapatnam before heading into the Indian Ocean.

Iran had not issued an official statement on the sinking as of Wednesday evening, and its ambassador in Colombo was not immediately available for comment.

Sri Lanka said its response complied with international maritime obligations and reiterated its neutral stance in the widening conflict in the Middle East. More than one million Sri Lankans work in the region, and remittances remain a key source of foreign exchange as the country continues its recovery from the 2022 economic crisis.

Both the Sri Lankan navy and air force said they would not release footage of the rescue operation because it involved a foreign military vessel.