3 min readUpdated: Mar 5, 2026 12:47 AM IST
As the video begins, an outline of a ship sailing on the seas first appears. But soon a powerful projectile hits the ship. It turns out the projectile was a torpedo fired by the United States and the vessel was a warship operated by Iran. The Iranian ship is hit by an underwater explosion. The ship is ripped apart and gallons of water rises up in the air.
The US Departmenet of War released the footage of its attack that sunk Iranian warship IRIS Dena in intenational waters near Sri Lanka. Nearly 180 people are understood to be onboard while the Lankan Navy has so far recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people. Several sailors are still believed to be missing.
During a press briefing at the Pentagon, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the Iranian vessel was the Islamic Republic’s “prize ship”.
One of the few instances of a submarine sinking a ship since World War II, it also highlighted that the Iran conflict had spread beyond the Gulf region.
“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon news briefing. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo.”
Later the Department of War posted a video on their X handle showing the moment the US projectile hit IRIS Dena.
https://t.co/PiqQpVIrMu pic.twitter.com/Wc1e0B0um7
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) March 4, 2026
What did Sri Lanka do
Sri Lankan officials said the country’s navy received a distress signal from the IRIS Dena. The island nation then ]sent ships and planes on a rescue mission, according to Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath.
But it was too late. By the time Sri Lanka’s navy reached the location, they could find “only some oil patches and life rafts,” Navy Spokesperson Commander Buddhika Sampath said.
“We found people floating on the water.”
Story continues below this ad
The 32 people rescued have been admitted to a hospital in Galle, and the bodies recovered are also being brought to land.
What is IRIS Dena
The IRIS Dena, which was incidentally one of Iran’s newest warships, patrolled in deep water. It was armed with heavy guns, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes, besides carrying a lone helicopter.
The ship was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in February 2023, along with eight executives of an Iranian drone manufacturer that supplied weapons to Russia for use against civilian targets in Ukraine.
During the press briefing at Pentagon, US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper said at least 17 Iranian naval vessels have been sunk during the ongoing Iran war. Decimating Iranian Navy is one of the stated goals of America’s military operation.
