A US submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s southern coast. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on 4 March 2026 the strike was carried out in international waters and involved a torpedo. Sri Lanka’s deputy foreign minister said at least 80 people were killed in the attack.
Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, Vijitha Herath, said 180 people were on board. Sri Lanka launched a search-and-rescue operation after receiving a distress call from the vessel. The Sri Lankan navy rescued 32 people and took them to hospital in the port city of Galle. Sri Lankan authorities said the ship was heading back to Iran from an eastern Indian port. The vessel had earlier taken part in a naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal between 18 and 25 February. Searches for additional survivors are continuing.
