Moment Iranian warship was downed by US torpedo in the Indian Ocean, footage shows | VIDEO

The United States has confirmed that a US submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena with a torpedo hit, marking the first such submarine attack since the Second World War.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the strike occurred in the Indian Ocean when the Iranian vessel, thought to be safe in international waters, was hit by a single torpedo. “Quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, back when we were still the War Department, we are fighting to win,” he said.

The released footage of the attack

At least 101 people were reported missing and 78 wounded after a submarine attack on an Iranian naval vessel off Sri Lanka’s coast, sources in Sri Lanka’s navy and defence ministry told Reuters on Wednesday.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, described the attack as “an incredible demonstration of America’s global reach,” adding that the US fast attack submarine used a Mark 48 torpedo to send the warship to the bottom of the sea.

Sri Lankan authorities reported that 30 sailors were rescued from the IRIS Dena, which had been in distress with around 180 crew onboard approximately 40km off the southern coast near Galle. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed the rescued sailors were taken to Karapitiya Hospital for treatment.

The strike comes on the fifth day of escalating conflict in West Asia involving the US, Israel and Iran, with both air and naval operations expanding across the region.