Iranian warship torpedoed in Indian Ocean, says US; 148 missing, 32 rescued

A US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian naval frigate in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed describing the strike as a demonstration of Americas reach in the ongoing USIsraeli war against IranAn American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters Instead it was sunk by a torpedo Hegseth told reportersHegseth termed the attack a quiet death and noted it was the first US sinking of an enemy ship by torpedo since World War IILike in that war he said we are fighting to winThe Pentagon has stated that one of the primary objectives of the USIsraeli conflict against Iran which began on Saturday is to eliminate the Iranian navyThe sunken vessel was identified as the Iranian frigate IRIS DenaUSIsrael Iran conflict Difficult to give any numbers but bodies have been foundSri Lankan authorities reported rescuing 32 crew members from the warship while 148 other sailors remain missing with low hopes of finding more survivorsSri Lankas Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath informed the Parliament that an emergency distress call was received at 508 am from IRIS Dena located about 40 nautical miles approximately 40 kilometres or 25 miles south of the southern port of Galle He said around 180 personnel were believed to be on board with 30 rescued later updated to 32 by the navyThe rescued Iranian sailors wearing naval uniforms were initially taken to the Sri Lanka Navys Southern Command headquarters and later admitted to Karapitiya Hospital in Galle for treatment Security has been stepped up around the hospital and the naval headquartersSri Lankan Navy spokesperson Commander Buddhika Sampath confirmed that when rescue teams arrived they observed a large oil slick indicating the ship had fully sunk Several bodies were recovered near the distress signal locationAt this point it is difficult to give any numbers but bodies have been found As they were found closer to the point of distress it is accepted that they were from the same ship Sampath saidWhen our teams reached the scene we observed a large oil slick indicating that the ship had sunk he addedSampath categorically rejected media reports suggesting the ship was sunk in a submarine attack stating We are only concerned about our obligation to rescue them as first responders under international maritime obligationsHe emphasised that the operation was conducted in line with Sri Lankas search and rescue responsibilities in the Indian Ocean as the incident fell within the countrys designated zone though outside territorial watersAir Force Spokesman Nalin Wewakumbura said no other vessels or aircraft were detected in the area where the distress signal originatedForeign Minister Herath reiterated Sri Lankas neutrality in the Middle East conflict expressing deep regret over the situation and urging a peaceful resolution through dialogueSri Lanka has a significant workforce of over one million citizens employed in the Middle East making it a vital source of foreign exchange for the country recovering from its 2022 economic crisisBoth the Sri Lankan Navy and Air Force declined to release footage of the rescue operation citing that it involved the military of another stateThe cause of the sinking will be determined later through specialised investigations officials saidThere was no immediate comment from the Indian Navy though reports noted the IRIS Dena had been part of a joint naval exercise hosted by India prior to the incident The Iranian Ambassador in Colombo was not immediately available for commentWith AFP and PTI inputs