Iranian warship sunk by US submarine off coast of Sri Lanka with 140 crew members missing at sea
More than 140 crew members are missing after an Iranian warship was sunk by a US submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka.
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The Iranian warship, the 180-crew frigate IRIS Dena 75, was hit and sunk by the US submarine on Monday, Director of War Pete Hegseth confirmed in a press conference from The Pentagon.
Speaking on Wednesday, the confirmation follows reports from the Sri Lankan Navy that the Iranian ship had been sunk 25 miles south of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean.
It follows Saturday's joint US-Israeli attack which successfully targeted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The ship is said to have issued a distress call off the coast of Galle, located towards the southern end of the country, with the injured admitted to a hospital in Galle.
Pete Hegseth confirmed on Wednesday that the US had launched torpedos from the US flagged submarine in international waters.
Hegseth said the US sank "an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters"
"Instead it was sunk by a torpedo," he added.
A search operation continues in the Indian Ocean, with more than 30 rescued survivors taken to hospital.
It comes as an Iranian spokesperson denied the scale of the tragedy.
Budhika Sampath, the spokesman of Sri Lanka’s navy says: “Though it was beyond our waters, it was within our search and rescue region. So we were obliged to respond as per international obligations.”
He adds: “We found people floating on the water, rescued them, and later when we inquired we found that those people are from an Iranian ship.”
Named after Mount Dena, IRIS Dena 75 is considered a Moudge-class frigate and forms part of the Southern Fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy.
Disputing the figures, Sri Lanka's navy and defence ministry told Reuters that 32 injured people are currently receiving treatment in hospital after being rescued by the navy.
Secretary of War Hegseth on Iran:
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 4, 2026
Iran’s senior leaders are dead. The so-called governing council that might have selected a successor is dead, missing, or in bunkers.
Senior generals, mid-level officers, and enlisted ranks can’t communicate or talk. pic.twitter.com/HBAbAgT5c6
The submarine in question is yet to be identified by Sri Lankan authorities, with suggestions the strike took place close to a major shipping lane, potentially putting trade at risk.
Sri Lanka’s foreign minister went on to tell parliament that the country’s military saved 32 “critically wounded” sailors who evacuated the ship.
However, despite confirming the figure of 32 injured servicemen, Dr Anil Jasinghe, a health ministry official, udated that one of them is in critical condition, seven are receiving emergency treatment, and the remainder are being treated for minor injuries.
"We are keeping up a search, but we don't know yet what happened to the rest of the crew," an unnamed official told AFP.
It comes as Mr Sampath appeared to reject reports suggesting a submarine attack had caused the sinking, insisting that the cause is unknown.
Pictures emerging from the National Hospital Galle appear to show security personnel standing guard.
It comes as Defence Ministry Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuiyakontha has said the missing figure is far higher, with around 140 people currently missing.
It comes as the US-Israeli war in Iran enters its fifth day, with explosions heard across the Middle East.
During the briefing, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth starts the briefing by stating "America is winning".
"We are only four days into this, metrics are shifting, dust is settling and more forces are arriving," he says.