At least 87 sailors have been killed and dozens more remain missing after a US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday, officials reported.
The attack occurred as hostilities sparked by a joint US-Israel strike on Iran continue to escalate across the Middle East.
“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters in Washington.
He described the assault as a “quiet death” and noted it was the first time the US had sunk an enemy vessel with a torpedo since World War II.
“Like in that war,” Hegseth said, “we are fighting to win.”
The Sri Lankan navy recovered the bodies of 87 sailors near the southern city of Galle, while 61 others remain unaccounted for, police and defence officials said.
“A search is still on for the others,” a navy official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Earlier, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed that 32 sailors, many injured, were rescued from the stricken Iranian frigate IRIS Dena.
The rescued personnel are receiving medical care in Galle, where AFP photographers also observed the first batch of over two dozen bodies being transported to a hospital Wednesday evening.
According to Sri Lankan navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath, the warship issued a distress call at dawn but had already sunk by the time a rescue vessel arrived within an hour, leaving only an oil slick on the water’s surface.
The vessel had reportedly been traveling after participating in a military exercise in India’s eastern port of Visakhapatnam.
The incident took place roughly 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Galle, the navy said.
Iran has not yet issued any official response. Tehran’s ambassador to Colombo, Alireza Delkhosh, was not immediately available for comment.
Sampath emphasized that Sri Lanka’s response adhered to its maritime obligations.
“This is within our search and rescue area in the Indian Ocean,” he told AFP.
Sri Lanka has maintained a neutral stance in the conflict and has repeatedly called for dialogue to resolve tensions in the Middle East.
With over a million Sri Lankans working in the region, the country heavily relies on foreign remittances, which remain crucial as it continues to recover from its worst-ever economic crisis in 2022.
Both the navy and air force confirmed they would not release footage of the rescue operation due to the involvement of a foreign military.
Security was also heightened outside the Galle hospital as injured Iranian sailors were brought in for treatment.
