U.S. forces issued two warnings to an Iranian warship for the crew to abandon the vessel before striking it with a torpedo, according to Iran International. An Iranian sailor allegedly called his father shortly before the strike and told him of the warnings sent by the U.S. The strike against the IRIS Dena was the first time since WWII that a U.S. Navy submarine sunk an enemy vessel by a torpedo strike. Iranian Warship Torpedoed By U.S. Submarine Reportedly Had Departed Naval Exercise In India, U.S. Navy Allegedly Withdrew Its Warship Last Minute “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 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. Iran International shared further: The Iranian navy warship's commander refused to allow the crew to abandon Dena despite the imminent threat, the source added. The sailor’s father said some crew members argued with the commander, and the 32 crew members who survived were mainly sailors who managed to escape on lifeboats, according to the source. A US submarine torpedoed Dena in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, about 19 nautical miles from the southern Sri Lankan port of Galle, killing dozens of sailors and significantly expanding Washington’s campaign against Iran’s naval forces. The sinking of the Dena — described by US War Secretary Pete Hegseth as a “quiet death” — marked the first time since World War II that the United States had torpedoed an enemy warship, underscoring the widening geographic reach of the conflict with Iran. An internal US State Department cable dated March 6 seen by Reuters said the US urged Sri Lankan authorities not to return the 32 surviving sailors from Dena and the 208 sailors Sri Lanka rescued from naval auxiliary ship IRIS Booshehr. "A distress call from IRIS Dena was received at the MRCC Colombo in the early hours of 04 Mar 2026, as reported by the Sri Lanka Navy. The ship was operating 20 NM west of Galle in the SAR region under Sri Lanka’s responsibility," India's Press Information Bureau stated. "On receipt of the information, the Indian Navy promptly launched its SAR efforts commencing with a long-range maritime patrol aircraft at 1000 hr on 04 March, 2026 to augment the search efforts led by Sri Lanka. Another aircraft with air droppable life rafts was also kept standby for immediate deployment," it added. A distress call from IRIS Dena was received at the MRCC Colombo in the early hours of 04 Mar 2026, as reported by the Sri Lanka Navy. The ship was operating 20 NM west of Galle in the SAR region under Sri Lanka’s responsibility On receipt of the information, the Indian Navy… — PIB India (@PIB_India) March 6, 2026 NewsNation noted: It said “Sri Lankan authorities should minimize Iranian attempts to use the detainees for propaganda.” The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Dissanayake’s office and Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry were not immediately available for comment. The cable said Howell also told the Israeli ambassador to India and Sri Lanka there was no plan to repatriate the crew to Iran. The envoy asked Howell whether there was any engagement with the crew to encourage “defection”, the cable said. A representative for the Israeli embassy in New Delhi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.