Iris Dena news highlights: US says Iran's warship Iris Dena sunk in torpedo attack near Sri Lanka, at least 87 dead

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US military sank the Iranian ship named after Soleimani, the former Iranian Quds force chief general Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by US forces during President Donald Trump's first term. "I guess POTUS got him twice," Hegseth said, referring to General Soleimani.

As per AP, the IRIS Dena patrolled in deep water and was armed with heavy guns, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. It carried one helicopter. The ship had been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in February 2023, along with eight executives of an Iranian drone manufacturer that supplied weapons to Russia for use against targets in Ukraine, as per the report.

The Iranian ship recently participated in an international naval drill hosted by India, as per news agency PTI. There was no immediate comment from the Indian Navy.

At the National Hospital in Galle, Iranian sailors' bodies were arriving in trucks and being stored in a makeshift mortuary, as per AP. The hospital was guarded by Sri Lankan police and naval personnel, as workers unloaded bodies away from view.

Dr Anil Jasinghe, a top health ministry official, said one of those rescued is in critical condition, seven are receiving emergency treatment, and others are being treated for minor injuries.

Iris Dena news Live Updates: Sri Lankan MP Namal Rajapaksa has expressed concerns over the sinking of the Iranian ship off the Sri Lankan coast by the US, calling the move "extremely serious."

"If military activity of this scale is happening so close to Sri Lanka, the government cannot treat it as “someone else’s problem.” Were we aware of submarine movements? Were our surveillance systems functioning? Or were we completely in the dark?" Rajapaksa said in a post on X.

He said that such incidents remind that Sri Lanka "sits at the heart of the Indian Ocean and must remain vigilant in safeguarding maritime security, humanitarian response, and the stability of our region."

Iris Dena news Live Updates: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said said that a US torpedo strike on Iranian warship Iris Dena sank the frigate off Sri Lanka's coast.

“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said at a briefing, adding “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo.”

Iris Dena news Live Updates: Though the oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has plunged, but is not completely halted following the US-Iran war in the Middle East, energy market intelligence firm Kpler said.

"Analysis of vessel activity indicates tanker transits are now around 90 percent lower than last week" through the vital waterway through which a fifth of the world's crude oil supplies transit, the company said on X.

Iris Dena news Live Updates: The Sri Lankan authorities have so far recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people after a torpedo fired by a US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka. The Iranian vessel was returning from India when an American submarine hit it. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Iranian vessel sun in the Indian Ocean was the Islamic Republic’s “prize ship". The incident is one of the few instances of a submarine sinking a ship since World War II.

Iris Dena news Live Updates: After US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that an Iranian warship torpedoed in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon has released a footage of the the vessel sinking.

“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo,” Hegseth told reporters in Washington, calling it a “quiet death.”

Iris Dena news Live Updates: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, after the sinking of an Iranian ship by torpedo near Sri Lanka, said America was “fighting to win.”

“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo,” Hegseth said. “Like in that war…we are fighting to win,” the defense secretary added.

Iris Dena news Live Updates: Sri Lanka's navy on Wednesday recovered 87 bodies of sailors from an Iranian warship that was sunk on Wednesday by a US submarine, AFP cited police and defence officials as saying.

“We have collected 87 bodies, and a search is still on for the others who are still missing,” a Navy official told AFP speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Iris Dena news Live Updates: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said that the sinking of an Iranian ship off Sri Lanka coast was first such “since World War 2.”

“Yesterday, 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. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II,” he said.

The Iranian vessel that was sinking off Sri Lanka, the IRIS Dena, is one of Iran’s newest warships. The frigate was the centrepiece of a two-ship international tour in 2023 that included port calls in countries including South Africa and Brazil. It was accompanied by the support ship IRIS Makran, a converted oil tanker.

At least 80 people were killed in a US submarine strike on an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka's deputy foreign minister told local television on Wednesday, as reported by Reuters.

Nearly 150 people were missing and several dead after the Iranian warship sank off Sri Lanka, AFP reported, citing officials. Sri Lanka's navy rescued 32 sailors from the frigate IRIS Dena, but hopes were fading for 148 other sailors, the island's Foreign Minister and defence officials said.

A US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday.

"An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo," Hegseth told reporters.

Sri Lankan forces had also not observed any other ship or aircraft in the area of the incident, he added. "We are hopeful we can rescue more people and will continue (operations) until we are sure," Sri Lankan navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said.

Sri Lankan navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said that Sri Lankan forces were focused on saving lives on the Iranian ship and will investigate the cause of the incident later, he said.

Sri Lankan navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said that rescue boats that reached the site did not see the ship and observed only an oil slick, adding that the incident took place outside Sri Lankan waters, but Colombo was still committed to providing support.

Iris Dena News Live Updates: Sri Lanka launched a search and rescue mission after receiving a distress call from the Iranian naval vessel Iris Dena early Wednesday.

According to officials, the frigate was about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Galle when it reported an explosion and began sinking. The vessel was believed to be carrying around 180 crew members at the time of the incident.

Iris Dena News Live Updates: Sri Lankan officials said hopes were fading for many of the sailors believed to have been aboard the Iranian warship.

According to Sri Lanka’s foreign minister and defence officials, 32 sailors have been rescued, but concerns remain about the fate of many others who were on board the 180-crew frigate when it sank.

Iris Dena News Live Updates: Sri Lanka’s navy said it had recovered “a few bodies” of Iranian sailors from the waters where the frigate Iris Dena sank off the island’s southern coast.

A navy spokesperson said search operations were continuing as rescuers scanned the area for additional survivors following the vessel’s distress call.

Iris Dena News Live Updates: Sri Lankan authorities said they would not release footage of the rescue operation involving the Iranian naval vessel.

Officials said the decision was taken because the incident involved the military of another state, and the rescue operation was being handled through official channels.

The United States military carried out a strike that hit an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka's coast, three US officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

One of the officials, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was carried out by a US military submarine.

Iris Dena News Live Updates: Earlier reports citing Sri Lankan navy and defence ministry sources had suggested the Iranian ship may have been struck by a submarine attack, triggering the distress call.

However, Sri Lankan authorities later denied these claims, saying the cause of the explosion and sinking remains unknown.