For the first time since WWII, a U.S. Navy submarine sunk an enemy vessel by a torpedo strike. “In the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II,” he added. Watch below: For the first time since World War II, a U.S. torpedo has sunk a ship. The Pentagon released footage of a submarine strike on an Iranian warship, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. is “accelerating” its war against Iran — calling it a “quiet death.” pic.twitter.com/fwqhJVL4Xo — TIME (@TIME) March 4, 2026 The Iranian warship, the IRIS Dena, reportedly had just departed Indian waters after participating in a multinational naval exercise hosted by New Delhi. Sri Lanka’s navy recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 survivors from the incident. About 10 sailors reportedly remain unaccounted for. Military.com explained further: A second Iranian vessel entered Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone in the aftermath of the sinking, though officials have not identified the ship or explained its presence. Exercise MILAN is India’s flagship biennial multilateral naval drill, designed to foster maritime cooperation among participating nations. The 13th edition ran concurrently with the International Fleet Review 2026 in Visakhapatnam from Feb. 15-25, drawing representatives from 74 countries and 18 foreign warships. Iranian Navy Rear Adm. Shahram Irani attended and held talks with India’s chief of naval staff. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh presided over the opening ceremony under the event’s theme, “United Through Oceans.” The IRIS Dena represented Iran in both events. She sailed out of Visakhapatnam when MILAN concluded Feb. 25 and was heading home to Iran when a U.S. fast-attack submarine fired a single Mark 48 torpedo into her hull March 4, in international waters roughly 25 miles south of Sri Lanka. The U.S. Navy sent no surface warship to MILAN. Its only official presence was a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from Patrol Squadron 4. The guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney had been slated to attend but was diverted to Singapore on Feb. 15 before the exercise began, for reasons the Navy has not publicly disclosed. Three days after MILAN ended, the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury. The IRIS Dena was still in transit at the time. The incident has reportedly ignited a political controversy in India, with no public response from its government. “The Iranian ship will not be where it was if we had not invited it to talk part in our Milan exercise. We were the hosts. I am told that as per protocol for this exercise ships cannot carry any ammunition. It was defenceless. The Iranian naval personnel had paraded before our president. The attack by the US submarine was premeditated as the US was aware of the Iranian ship’s presence in the exercise to which the US navy was invited but withdrew from participation at the last minute, presumably with this operation in mind,” former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal said. “The US has ignored India’s sensitivities as the ship was in these waters because of India’s invitation. We are far from politically or militarily responsible for the US attack. Our ‘responsibility’ is at a moral and human plane. A word of condolence by the Indian Navy ( after political clearance) at the loss of lives of those who were our invitees and saluted our president would be in order,” he continued. The Iranian ship will not be where it was if we had not invited it to talk part in our Milan exercise. We were the hosts. I am told that as per protocol for this exercise ships cannot carry any ammunition. It was defenceless. The Iranian naval personnel had paraded before… https://t.co/3r8bWFJn8d — Kanwal Sibal (@KanwalSibal) March 5, 2026 More from the Associated Press: Sri Lanka’s navy said it had responded to a distress signal from the IRIS Dena, but by the time it reached the location, there was no sign of the ship, just patches of oil and sailors floating in the water. The rescued mariners were taken to a hospital in the town of Galle, on Sri Lanka’s southern coast. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the sinking illustrates the U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran is stretching beyond its borders and described the IRIS Dena as a “prize ship.” U.S. President Donald Trump has said one of the key objectives of the war is to wipe out Iran’s navy. A video released by the U.S. Department of Defense on X showed the moment of the torpedo attack. The Iranian ship appears to be hit by an underwater explosion that causes it to break apart, as a large plume of water rises up in the air. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. Navy of committing an “an atrocity at sea” in sinking the frigate and said on social media on Thursday that the United States “will come to bitterly regret” the attack. Araghchi said the IRIS Dena had been carrying “almost 130” crew. India’s navy and defense ministry said the Iranian warship had participated in the International Fleet Review and the multilateral naval exercise MILAN 2026, organized by the Indian navy in the port of Visakhapatnam from Feb. 15 to Feb. 25. The ministry said 74 countries had joined the events. The Iranian warship was seen sailing at sea during the exercises in a Feb. 17 post on X by the Indian navy. Another image showed several of its crew members posing on deck with the Iranian flag in the background. Araghchi stressed that the frigate had been “a guest” of India’s navy. The Indian government has not yet publicly commented on the incident.