Hegseth confirms US submarine sunk Iranian warship off Sri Lanka coast

Published March 4, 2026 8:43am ET



A U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka’s coast in the Indian Ocean, War Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed during a Wednesday morning press conference.

Hegseth said the enemy ship “thought it was safe in international waters,” but it was ultimately “sunk by a torpedo.” The Cabinet secretary called the underwater attack the “first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II.”

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