RT.com
04 Mar 2026, 19:44 GMT+10
The IRIS Dena was torpedoed off the coast of Sri Lanka on Monday, the US secretary of war has said, confirming earlier reports
A US submarine sank an Iranian Navy frigate in the Indian Ocean on Monday, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said. Earlier media reports indicated that the IRIS Dena was struck about 40 nautical miles off the city of Galle in southwestern Sri Lanka, with dozens of crew members rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Hegseth said the Iranian vessel had "thought it was safe in international waters."
"Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death," Hegseth stated, adding that the incident marked the "first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II."
On Wednesday, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said his country had first received a distress call at around 5:08 AM, with two navy ships being immediately dispatched to assist the Iranian vessel.
"Thirty persons in need of urgent help were immediately rescued. They have been admitted to the Karapitiya Hospital in Galle," the diplomat added.
Around 180 people were believed to be on board the IRIS Dena at the time of the attack.
Sri Lanka Navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath told reporters that rescuers had recovered several bodies that are suspected to be personnel of the Iranian warship.
Last Saturday, the US and Israeli militaries launched massive airstrikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a number of senior Iranian commanders, with more attacks since. The Islamic Republic has retaliated by firing barrages of drones and missiles at Israel, as well as US and UK military facilities across the Middle East.
Russia has condemned the killing of Khamenei, with President Vladimir Putin describing it as a "cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law."
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of St Petersburg Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to St Petersburg Star.
More InformationNEW YORK CITY, New York: Oil prices have jumped sharply as escalating attacks in the Middle East raised fears of major disruptions...
Kiev could help Gulf states repel Iranian strikes if they work for Ukraine in talks with Moscow Vladimir Zelensky has offered to...
Madrid has contrasted German Chancellor Friedrich Merzs comments in the Oval Office with the pro-European spirit of his predecessors...
The IRIS Dena was torpedoed off the coast of Sri Lanka on Monday, the US secretary of war has said, confirming earlier reports A...
Oil prices, energy security, and foreign policy nuances dominate the Indian discourse on the crisis in the Persian Gulf As the Middle...
The bloc is now feeling the fallout from severing ties with Russia amid the Middle East conflict, presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev...
LA PAZ, Bolivia: Currency notes littered the ground when a cargo plane carrying cash crashed on February 27 near the Bolivian capital,...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Crowds gathered at American Airlines' Terminal D of the Reagan National Airport when they received news that former...
GENEVA, Switzerland: Taliban-imposed restrictions on women are endangering access to healthcare in Afghanistan, with some women denied...
BUCHAREST, Romania: An appeal by American rapper Wiz Khalifa to annul his nine-month jail sentence for drug possession was rejected...
HONG KONG: Onetime media magnate Jimmy Lai won a rare victory in his legal battles when a Hong Kong appellate court on February 27...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Federal immigration authorities released a Columbia University student a few hours after arresting her early...
