US submarine sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka, 87 dead

2026-03-04 - 22:34

A United States submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 sailors, amid the US-Israeli war against Iran. Sri Lankan authorities said the vessel, identified as the IRIS Dena, went down about 40km off the country’s southern coast after issuing a distress call. The navy recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 survivors. About 180 people were believed to have been on board. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike at a Pentagon briefing.