US submarine sinks Iranian ship in first torpedo kill since WWII, Pentagon confirms

A United States Navy submarine sank an Iranian ship with a single torpedo as the frigate was transiting the Indian Ocean, marking the first such kill by a U.S. submarine since World War II, the Pentagon confirmed on Wednesday.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike during a Pentagon press briefing on Operation Epic Fury alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.

“Yesterday, in the Indian Ocean ... an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II.”

The identity of the fast-attack boat was not revealed, as is custom for operational security surrounding submarine operations.

The strike occurred off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, according to Reuters, which would indicate the action occurred in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility .

The IRIS Dena, a Moudge-class frigate assigned to the Southern Fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, was in the region after reportedly taking part in a naval drill in the Bay of Bengal.

Sri Lankan Foreign minister Vijitha Herath said 180 people were on board the IRIS Dena. Thirty-two people were subsequently rescued by Sri Lankan naval personnel.

Commander Buddhika Sampath , a Sri Lankan navy spokesman, said the rescue effort was also recovering bodies from the scene.

“For the first time since 1945, a United States Navy fast attack submarine has sunk an enemy combatant ship using a single Mk-48 torpedo to achieve immediate effect, sending the warship to the bottom of the sea,” Caine said during the press briefing Wednesday.

“This is an incredible demonstration of America’s global reach. To hunt, find and kill an out-of-area deployer is something that only the United States can do at this type of scale.”

Caine added that, to date, the U.S. has hit over 2,000 total targets across Iran and destroyed more than 20 of the Islamic Republic’s naval vessels.

The campaign has “effectively neutralized, at this point in time, Iran’s major naval presence in theater,” he said.

Strikes on infrastructure and naval capability by the vast assembly of U.S. forces in the region are expected to continue over the next 24 to 48 hours, Caine noted.

“We’ll continue to assess our progress against the military objectives,” he said.

J.D. Simkins is Editor-in-Chief of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.

Riley Ceder is a Navy reporter at Military Times, where he covers issues directly affecting service members and their families, as well as breaking news.

美国海军一艘潜艇用一枚鱼雷击沉了一艘正在印度洋航行的伊朗护卫舰，五角大楼周三证实了这一消息，这是自二战以来美国潜艇首次击沉敌舰。

国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯在五角大楼举行的“史诗狂怒行动”新闻发布会上，与参谋长联席会议主席丹·凯恩将军一同证实了此次袭击。

“昨天，在印度洋……一艘美国潜艇击沉了一艘伊朗军舰，这艘军舰当时以为在国际水域很安全，”赫格塞斯说。“结果，它被鱼雷击沉了。死得悄无声息。这是二战以来敌舰首次被鱼雷击沉。”

按照潜艇作战安全惯例，快速攻击艇的身份并未透露。

据路透社报道，此次袭击发生在斯里兰卡南部沿海地区，这表明此次行动发生在美国印太司令部的责任区内。

据报道，隶属于伊朗伊斯兰共和国海军南部舰队的穆吉级护卫舰“IRIS Dena”号在孟加拉湾参加完海军演习后出现在该地区。

斯里兰卡外交部长维吉塔·赫拉特表示，“IRIS Dena”号货轮上共有180人。随后，斯里兰卡海军人员救起了32人。

斯里兰卡海军发言人布迪卡·桑帕特指挥官表示，救援人员还在现场打捞遇难者遗体。

“自 1945 年以来，美国海军的快速攻击潜艇首次使用一枚 Mk-48 鱼雷击沉了一艘敌方作战舰艇，立即取得了战果，将该军舰送入了海底，”凯恩在周三的新闻发布会上说。

“这令人难以置信地展现了美国的全球影响力。只有美国才能以如此大规模的方式搜寻、发现并击毙一名境外部署者。”

凯恩补充说，迄今为止，美国已在伊朗境内打击了 2000 多个目标，摧毁了 20 多艘伊朗伊斯兰共和国的海军舰艇。

他说，这场行动“目前已有效地削弱了伊朗在该战区的主要海军力量”。

凯恩指出，未来24至48小时内，美国在该地区的大量兵力将继续对基础设施和海军能力发动袭击。

他说：“我们将继续评估我们在实现军事目标方面取得的进展。”

JD Simkins 是《军事时报》和《防务新闻》的总编辑，也是参加过伊拉克战争的海军陆战队老兵。

Riley Ceder 是《军事时报》的海军记者，他负责报道直接影响军人及其家属的问题以及突发新闻。