Iranian Warship Sunk by US Torpedo: 87 Soldiers Dead, 61 Missing
An Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, sank off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday 5 March local time after being struck by a torpedo launched by a United States submarine. At least 87 Iranian soldiers were killed, with 61 others missing.
Around 32 more Iranian soldiers were rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy, with many of them injured.
The sinking of the Iranian warship occurred as a conflict sparked by joint US and Israel strikes since the weekend continued to widen in the Middle East region.
The Sri Lankan Navy, as reported by AFP, on Thursday 5 March 2026, has evacuated at least 87 bodies of Iranian soldiers from the warship sunk by the US torpedo.
“We have evacuated 87 bodies, and searches are ongoing for others who are still missing,” a Sri Lankan Navy official, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
A spokesperson for local police and the Sri Lankan Navy said that at least 61 Iranian soldiers are still missing.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath separately announced that Sri Lankan forces had rescued 32 Iranian soldiers from the frigate-type warship that sank. Those rescued are receiving medical treatment at a hospital in the city of Galle.
An AFP photographer in Sri Lanka reported that dozens of bodies, believed to be Iranian soldiers who died, were brought into the local hospital on Wednesday night.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth previously announced that a US submarine had sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, specifically off the coast of Sri Lanka.
“A US submarine has sunk an Iranian warship that thought they were safe in international waters. But the vessel was ultimately sunk by a torpedo,” he said.
Hegseth described the strike as a “silent death” and the first enemy ship sunk by the US with a torpedo since World War II.
Sri Lanka Navy spokesperson Buddhika Sampath stated that the Iranian warship issued a distress call at dawn but had sunk completely by the time rescue vessels reached the area within an hour, leaving an oil slick on the surface.
The Iranian warship had been sailing after reportedly taking part in military exercises at the Visakhapatnam port in eastern India. The attack occurred in waters about 40 kilometres south of Galle, according to the Sri Lankan Navy.
Iran has so far not commented on the sinking of its warship. Iran’s ambassador to Colombo, Alireza Delkhosh, could not be reached.
Sampath emphasised that Sri Lanka’s response to the distress call was in line with the country’s maritime obligations. “This falls within our search and rescue area in the Indian Ocean,” he told AFP.
Sri Lanka reiterates its neutrality and has repeatedly urged dialogue to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.