Iranian Warship IRIS Dena Sunk by US Torpedo, 86 Soldiers Killed

An Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, sank off the coast of Sri Lanka after being struck by a torpedo fired by a United States submarine. As a result, 87 Iranian soldiers were killed, and 67 were reported missing. The incident occurred on Wednesday (5 March 2026) local time. A total of 32 other Iranian soldiers were rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy, with most of them injured. The warship sank during a joint US and Israel strike that has broadened from the weekend into the Middle East. AFP reported that the Sri Lankan Navy had evacuated at least 87 bodies of Iranian soldiers from the torpedoed ship. ‘We have evacuated 87 bodies, and search operations continue for those still missing,’ a Sri Lankan Navy official told AFP, asking for anonymity. Police and the Sri Lankan Navy reported at least 61 Iranian soldiers still missing. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath announced that Sri Lankan forces had evacuated 32 Iranian soldiers from the sunken frigate. The rescued soldiers are receiving medical treatment at a hospital in the city of Galle. An AFP photographer in Sri Lanka reported dozens of corpses believed to be Iranian soldiers being brought to the local hospital on the night of Wednesday (4 March). Earlier, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had announced that a US submarine had sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Sri Lanka. ‘A United States submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought they were safe in international waters. Yet the ship was sunk by a torpedo,’ he said. He described the attack as a ‘silent death’ and the first enemy ship sunk by the US with a torpedo since World War II. Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson Buddhika Sampath said the Iranian ship sent an emergency call at dawn but had completely sunk by the time rescuers arrived in the area within an hour, leaving a sheen of oil on the surface. The Iranian warship was reported to have conducted naval exercises at Visakhapatnam port on India’s eastern coast. The Sri Lankan Navy said the attack occurred about 40 kilometres south of Galle. Iran has yet to comment on the sinking of its warship. Iran’s Ambassador to Colombo, Alireza Delkhosh, could not be reached. Sampath explained that Sri Lanka’s response to the emergency call was in line with its maritime duties. ‘This is within our search-and-rescue area in the Indian Ocean,’ he told AFP. Sri Lanka maintains a neutral stance and has repeatedly urged dialogue to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.