US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in international waters after Sri Lanka’s Navy said it rescued more than two dozen people from an Iranian vessel that was sunk off its shoreline. “An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said during a press conference at the Pentagon. The spokesperson, Buddhika Sampath, said the navy, air force, and coastguard were engaged in search and rescue operations. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said it was the first time a US attack submarine had used a torpedo to sink a combat ship since 1945. In 1999, a US attack submarine successfully used a torpedo to sink an oil ship after other efforts with explosives had failed to scuttle the ship.

Source: CNN March 04, 2026 21:16 UTC