US military SINKS Iranian ship with torpedo close to Sri Lanka

The US submarine sank an Iranian vessel using a torpedo, a first for a US submarine since WWII, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday.  

'An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,' the secretary said at a morning press conference at the Pentagon.

'Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo, quiet death, the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II.'

Hegseth said the torpedo attack occurred on Monday in the Indian Ocean. 

The secretary did not name the ship, but earlier an Iranian warship sank off the coast of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan foreign affairs minister Vijitha ​Herath announced that the strike occurred around 5 am local time. 

He told parliament 180 people were on board the ⁠Iranian vessel, which he identified as the IRIS Dena. 

'By 6am we dispatched a naval vessel and by 7am the second naval vessel,' Herath said. Sri Lankan officials announced at least 80 people were killed in the torpedo attack.

Sri Lankan officials also noted how 32 of the crew were rescued and brought to a local hospital. 

'The Iranian Navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf,' Hegseth said. 

This is a breaking news story and will continue to be updated.