Iran’s “prize” warship, the Iris Dena, was sunk yesterday by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean off the Sri Lankan coast with 180 of the Islamic Republic’s navy on board.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a press conference on Wednesday: “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 - quiet death.”
Dramatic footage of the sinking, released by the White House, shows the submarine firing at the Iranian ship before a fireball erupts, while the impact triggers a large wave. The ship then quickly begins to sink.
This Iranian warship thought it was safe in international waters. It wasn't.
The @DeptofWar is fighting to win. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/4bGMubuSQu
At least 17 Iranian warships have been sunk since the war began on Saturday, according to US Central Command (Centcom), but the Iris Dena was among the most significant vessels in the Islamic Republic’s navy.
The ship took centre stage on an international tour in 2023, designed to show off the country’s military might, which included port calls in countries such as South Africa and Brazil. It was also included in a US sanction list the same year for supplying weapons to Russia in its war on Ukraine.
US Admiral Brad Cooper, head of Centcom, said: “We are... sinking the Iranian navy – the entire navy.
“Thus far, we've destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including the most operational Iranian submarine that now has a hole in its side.
“The Iranian navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf,” Cooper said, adding that the Iris Dena was the Islamic Republic’s “prize ship”.
“For decades, the Iranian regime has harassed international shipping,” he added. “Today there's not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop.”
Sri Lanka sent out rescue boats after receiving a distress call, but by the time they arrived, the Iris Dena was completely submerged.
Boats recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people, many of whom are in critical condition and being treated in Sri Lankan hospitals.
A further 60 crew members are unaccounted for but are believed to have perished in the attack.
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