A US submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sri Lanka, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday.
"Yesterday, in the Indian Ocean...an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo," Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing.
It is "the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II," he added.
"Like in that war, back when we were still the War Department, we are fighting to win."
Sri Lanka's navy was informed that the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, with 180 people on board, was in distress and sinking, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told lawmakers. A rescue mission was launched, mobilising ships and planes.