Published Mar 04, 2026 | 11:35 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 04, 2026 | 11:35 PM
IRIS Dena. (Wikimedia)
The United States has confirmed that it sank an Iranian warship that was returning from a multinational naval exercise hosted by India in February in the Bay of Bengal in the early hours of Wednesday, 4 March.
“Yesterday, in the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by [the US] since World War II in war,” Hegseth said at a livestreamed press conference at the US Pentagon in Washington DC on Wednesday evening.
The frigate, identified as IRIS Dena, was sunk by a US Navy submarine in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka. It had arrived in Visakhapatnam in February to take part in the Indian Navy’s International Fleet Review and Ex Milan.
At least 32 people on board have been rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy after the 180-crew frigate issued a distress call, while more than 100 are reportedly missing.
