U.S. carried out strike on Iranian warship off Sri Lanka coast, Pentagon chief says

A US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday (March 4, 2026).

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“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo,” Mr. Hegseth told reporters.

The U.S. strike triggered a distress call, and the Sri Lankan armed forces ​launched a search ‌and rescue operation. Sri Lankan authorities said they had rescued 32 people so far and recovered several bodies from the ‌sea.

Sources in Sri Lanka’s navy and ​defence ministry said the vessel had been attacked by a submarine ⁠and at least 101 people were missing in the incident that took place off ‌Sri Lanka’s Indian Ocean coast.

The defence sources said it was unclear who attacked the ship.

A Sri Lankan navy spokesman said the report of 101 people being missing was not true and rejected ‌any reports on the cause of the ship sinking.

U.S. ​strikes on Iran’s Navy is a central part of the ⁠war against Iran, launch by the United States ⁠on Saturday (February 28, 2026).

On Tuesday (March 3, 2026), the U.S. military’s Central Command said it had already ‌sunk 17 Iranian warships and was on track to destroy Iran’s entire ​navy.

(With inputs from AFP and Reuters)