US Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship in Indian Ocean as Middle East Conflict Escalates

By Sardar Burhan :

A United States submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, killing at least 87 sailors in a dramatic escalation of the widening regional conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.

Sri Lankan authorities said dozens of bodies were recovered after the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena sank about 40 kilometres south of Galle. Hospital officials in the southern Sri Lankan city confirmed that 87 bodies had been brought ashore, while 32 crew members were rescued and treated.

Officials said between 60 and more than 100 sailors remain missing from an estimated crew of about 180.

“We have collected 87 bodies, and a search is still on for the others who are still missing,” a Sri Lankan navy official told AFP.

Sri Lankan navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath said rescuers initially found only an oil slick at the scene before locating survivors in the water.

“We found people floating in the water and rescued them,” he said.

Pentagon confirms strike

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the attack, saying the Iranian vessel had been targeted by an American submarine in international waters.

“An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo quiet death,” he said at the Pentagon.

According to United States Department of Defense, it is the first time since World War II that a US submarine has sunk an enemy warship.

US military chief Dan Caine said Washington had destroyed more than 20 Iranian naval vessels since the conflict began last weekend.

Secret outreach reported

Amid the escalating fighting, operatives from Iran’s intelligence ministry reportedly signalled willingness to discuss ending the war with the Central Intelligence Agency, according to a report by The New York Times.

The message was conveyed through a third country’s intelligence service, the report said, citing Western and Middle Eastern officials speaking anonymously. Neither the White House nor the CIA immediately commented on the report.

Strait of Hormuz tensions

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had taken full control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.

The claim came as Israel launched new strikes on Tehran and fighting intensified across the region.

Major shipping firms have already suspended transit through the waterway after warnings from Iran and reports of attacks on several vessels.

Conflict spreads across region

The war, triggered by joint US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has expanded rapidly across the Middle East.

Iran has launched missile and drone attacks on Israel and US-linked targets across the Gulf, while the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has also joined the fighting.

In Turkey, officials said a ballistic missile launched from Iran and travelling through Iraqi and Syrian airspace was intercepted by NATO air defence systems in the eastern Mediterranean.

A Turkish official said the missile had been aimed at a base in Greek Cyprus but veered off course before being destroyed.

Gulf states drawn into crisis

Gulf countries have also been affected by Iran’s retaliation. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates reported intercepting dozens of Iranian drones and missiles, while Kuwait confirmed the death of an 11-year-old girl after falling shrapnel struck her during an attack.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani condemned the strikes during a call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, urging an immediate halt to attacks on Gulf states.

“These attacks cannot pass without a response,” he warned.

Iran threatens Israeli missions

Iran’s armed forces also warned that Israeli diplomatic missions worldwide could become targets if Israel attacks Iranian diplomatic facilities in Lebanon.

Military spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi said on state television that any such attack would make Israeli embassies around the world “legitimate targets”.

The warning followed a statement by Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee urging Iranian representatives in Lebanon to leave the country immediately.

The conflict, now entering its fifth day, has already killed hundreds across the region and sent global markets and energy prices sharply higher.

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