A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, dramatically widening Washington's pursuit of the Iranian navy.
Iranian military ship Iris Dena is pictured berthed in Rio de Janeiro's port, Brazil, February 28, 2023. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes
A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, dramatically widening Washington's pursuit of the Iranian navy.
Sri Lanka's deputy foreign minister said at least 80 people were killed in the attack on the frigate IRIS Dena, which was heading back to Iran from an eastern Indian port.
"An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters," Hegseth said at the Pentagon. "Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death".
The Iranian vessel had taken part in a naval exercise held in the Bay of Bengal from February 18 to 25, according to the drill's website.
SRI LANKA SEARCHING FOR SURVIVORS
Sri Lanka said it had launched a search-and-rescue operation to locate survivors after receiving a distress call, with 32 people rescued by its navy and treated at a hospital in the southern port city of Galle.
Foreign minister Vijitha Herath said 180 people were on board the ship.
Sri Lankan navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said boats that reached the location observed only an oil slick, adding that the incident took place outside Sri Lankan waters but Colombo was still committed to providing support.
"We are hopeful we can rescue more people and will continue (operations) until we are sure," Sampath said.
SHIP TOOK PART IN NAVAL DRILL HOSTED BY INDIA
The website of the 'Milan' multilateral naval exercise hosted by India listed an Iranian ship named 'IRINS Dena' as having taken part in the drill, which was held in the Bay of Bengal off India's eastern coast.
IRIS - or Islamic Republic of Iran Ship - is the more commonly used prefix for Iranian naval vessels, while IRINS - or Islamic Republic of Iran Naval Ship - is sometimes used.
By Uditha Jayasinghe and Idrees Ali
No ships have made it past a U.S. naval blockade of Iran's ports and coastal areas, and six merchant ships have followed orders to turn back, the U.S. military said on Tuesday, providing the first details on a day-old effort ordered by President Donald Trump after peace talks between the U.S. and Iran broke down.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades on Tuesday and both sides said they held positive discussions although it was not immediately clear if they agreed to a framework for peace.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has signaled his country's desire for full normalization with Lebanon, just ahead of a key round of peace talks scheduled in Washington.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.