More than four days after the start of Operation Epic Fury, attacks by the United States Armed Forces are no longer limited to targets within Iranian territory. According to the latest reports, confirmed by the Department of War itself, hours ago a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine attacked and sank an Iranian Navy frigate in the Indian Ocean, marking an unprecedented event in the modern history of the service.
Earlier in the morning, various open-source outlets and news agencies began reporting that an Iranian Navy frigate was sinking in waters of the Indian Ocean, while Sri Lankan authorities initiated a search and rescue operation for its crew members.
As minutes passed, information began circulating that the frigate, identified as IRIS Dena, a unit belonging to the Moudge-class of the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, had been attacked with torpedoes launched from a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine. This marked the first occasion since the end of World War II in which the service has sunk an enemy vessel and, in the Western world, the first since the sinking of the cruiser ARA General Belgrano by the British submarine HMS Conqueror during the Malvinas War.
Confirmation of the incident came during a press conference given by the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, who stated: “In the Indian Ocean, a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship that believed it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo: Quiet Death.”
He added that it was the “… first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war — when we were still the War Department — we are fighting to win.”
Regarding further details provided by U.S. authorities, although it was not confirmed which unit of the nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet took part — among which Los Angeles- and Virginia-class submarines are listed, the latter being the most modern in service — it was specified that the sinking was carried out through the launch of an MK 48 torpedo.
As for the crew, according to reports from Sri Lankan authorities, a search and rescue operation was launched, managing to assist and recover 79 crew members. However, efforts are still ongoing to locate the 101 Iranian personnel reported missing.
Returning to the current scope of the operation, its objectives are not limited solely to missile production facilities and ground-based launch systems, as well as command and control systems, but also encompass Iranian naval assets, both within the country’s territory and those currently deployed elsewhere, as was the case with IRIS Dena.
Prior to this attack, in recent days there had already been strikes against naval vessels and installations. These include actions carried out against frigates and expeditionary bases in previous days.
In its latest report, the U.S. Department of War confirmed the destruction of at least twenty (20) vessels of various types. According to satellite imagery, these include the light frigate INS Jamaran and the expeditionary base IRIS Makran, which was located at the Bandar Abbas Naval Base at the time of the attack.
Finally, with the visual confirmation of the sinking of IRIS Dena, the Iranian Navy has now lost two of its most modern Moudge-class frigates in the conflict that began in late February. These vessels are a design derived from the Alvand class and were produced by local shipyards.
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