US claims Iranian warship was sunk

Thursday, 5 March 2026 04:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Marks first US attack on Iran’s military outside Middle East since war began on 28 Feb.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth yesterday said they had carried out a submarine torpedo strike that sank an Iranian warship off the south coast of Sri Lanka.

“An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said. He said the attack was carried out by a US Navy submarine late on Tuesday night.

“It was sunk by a torpedo, a quiet death – the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II,” said Hegseth.

The deadly strike comes amid the war in the Middle East, after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran over the weekend. The submarine strike marks an escalation in hostilities and is the first US attack on Iran’s military to take place outside the Middle East since the war began on 28 February.