At least 80 people were killed after a U.S. submarine struck and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka, the country’s deputy foreign minister confirmed on local television Wednesday.
The development came after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly acknowledged that an American submarine carried out the strike near Sri Lanka’s southern coast, marking a significant escalation in regional tensions.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath earlier told parliament that approximately 180 personnel were aboard the Moudge-class frigate IRIS Dena when it sank about 40 nautical miles off the island after issuing a distress call.
Hegseth said the attack was conducted by a U.S. military submarine, confirming earlier speculation that the vessel had been struck beneath the surface, according to India today.
The frigate, also referred to as IRINS Dena, had recently participated in the International Fleet Review 2026 in India and was returning from a naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal held from February 18 to 25.
Two weeks prior to the incident, India’s Eastern Naval Command had hosted the Iranian ship during a port call at Visakhapatnam.
Sri Lankan authorities said 32 crew members were rescued and several bodies recovered from the sea. Survivors were transported to a state-run hospital in the southern port city of Galle for treatment.
Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said search and rescue operations were continuing. “We are hopeful we can rescue more people and will continue operations until we are sure,” he stated, declining to confirm the total number of fatalities.
Rescue teams arriving at the site reported seeing only an oil slick, with no visible sign of the vessel. The Sri Lankan Navy said it received the distress call and coordinated with the Sri Lanka Air Force to launch a joint operation.
Officials emphasized that the incident occurred in international waters beyond Sri Lanka’s territorial jurisdiction, though the country remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance. Authorities also said they did not observe any other ships or aircraft in the area at the time of the distress call.
Before Hegseth’s confirmation, Sri Lankan defense sources had suggested the vessel may have been attacked by a submarine and reported that more than 100 crew members were missing.
However, officials initially refrained from speculating on the cause of the sinking, stressing that rescue efforts were the immediate priority.
The U.S. confirmation that an American submarine carried out the strike removes earlier uncertainty over whether the frigate’s loss resulted from an attack, technical malfunction, or another maritime incident — and signals a sharp escalation in the broader conflict.
