At least 87 killed in US attack on Iranian warship off Sri Lanka's coast

At least 87 killed in US attack on Iranian warship off Sri Lanka's coast Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 03/04/2026 - 13:41 US defence secretary confirmed the submarine strike, saying Iran's navy 'rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf' Galle coast after a US submarine attack on the Iranian military ship Iris Dena, off Sri Lanka, in Galle, Sri Lanka, on 4 March 2026 (Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters) Off At least 87 people were killed in a deadly US strike on an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka's coast, the country's deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday. The Sri Lankan navy said rescue efforts are underway after a US submarine fired a torpedo at the Iranian frigate Iris Dena, which was manned by 180 people. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed to reporters at a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday that a submarine had conducted the attack, adding that "the Iranian navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf".