Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
An Iranian Navy warship was sunk in the Indian Ocean after being struck by a torpedo fired from a United States submarine, according to the Pentagon, in an incident that underscores the widening scope of the current regional confrontation.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Iranian vessel, identified as the IRIS Dena, was destroyed roughly 25 miles off the coast of Sri Lanka. He described the strike as decisive, saying the ship suffered a “quiet death” after being hit by a torpedo.
“Yesterday, in the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said during a Pentagon briefing, adding that it was the first sinking of an enemy ship by torpedo since World War II.
Sri Lankan authorities reported significant casualties. Officials said naval units rescued 32 sailors from the frigate, but confirmed at least 87 people were killed, with more than 60 still missing as search operations continued.
The IRIS Dena was reportedly returning from a military exercise in India when it was struck. Iranian officials have not yet released a detailed public assessment of the losses.
The maritime strike comes amid rapidly escalating hostilities involving the United States, Israel and Iran, with military activity increasingly extending beyond the Middle East.
Separately, NATO defenses were reported to have intercepted an Iranian missile heading toward Turkish airspace, highlighting fears that the confrontation could spill further into surrounding regions.
The latest developments add to mounting concerns among international observers that the conflict risks broadening geographically, particularly along key maritime routes in the Indian Ocean and eastern Mediterranean.
