By Isabella McHugh
Staff Writer
A United States submarine struck an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka’s southern coast on March 3, killing over 80 people, according to Military Times.
One torpedo obliterated the IRIS Dena. The strike signified a historical moment since this is the first killing by a U.S. submarine since World War II, according to Military Times.
The Pentagon released a video displaying a ship that experiences an intense explosion and sinking beneath the tides, according to CNN.
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said that 180 people were aboard the vessel, according to Military Times.
“[Sri Lanka] intervened in a way that demonstrated our commitment to international conventions, protecting the reputation and dignity of our country, and protecting human lives,” Herath said.
Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, “The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores. Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set,” according to CNN.
This act paints a more vivid picture of the conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran. The conflict is extending borders, AP News reported. U.S. President Donald Trump said that wiping out Iran’s navy was a key objective.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the IRIS Dena was the Islamic Republic’s “prize ship,” according to AP News. Hegseth said during a Pentagon news briefing, “An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo.”
One day after the U.S. sunk the IRIS Dena, Sri Lanka stepped in to take control of the IRIS Bushehr, which is another Iranian navy vessel, and around 208 members were evacuated, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.
“Our position has been to safeguard our neutrality while demonstrating our humanitarian values,” Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in a statement.
Sri Lanka has maintained its non-alignment policy since its independence in 1948. The country has economic and diplomatic ties to both Iran and the U.S., the BBC reported.
The BBC also reported that Sri Lanka bought $250 million in crude oil from Iran, “and is paying back through monthly exports of tea.” It exports garments and fabric to the U.S.
The U.S. and Israel continue to send strikes to Iran after killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Al Jazeera. Trump said he sought to have a position in choosing Iran’s next Supreme Leader, CBS reported.
Trump desires to establish an entirely new order in Iran. He said in a statement, “We want to go in and clean out everything.” He said to NBC, “It's a waste of time. They've lost everything. They've lost their navy. They've lost everything they can lose,” CBS reported. This was spoken in regard to the strike.
The torpedo strike was meant to indicate clear U.S. opposition to Iran, Thomas Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told Fox News, “This strike sent a message that if there are any Iranian warships left or any Iranian government-owned ships, they should expect no mercy.”
