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
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem declared Wednesday in a televised speech that negotiating with Israel "under fire" amounted to imposed surrender, calling for unity and vowing his fighters were prepared to continue "without limits."
While Donald Trump's teams are reportedly engaged in discussions over a potential ceasefire with Iran, covering the critical issues of nuclear capabilities, ballistic missiles, and proxy forces including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, Tehran is publicly denying any such talks are underway.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told lawmakers Wednesday that the current Middle East conflict is "far worse" than the Iraq War of 2003, a dramatic claim that says more about his domestic political calculations than any genuine diplomatic insight.
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.