US submarine sinks Iranian frigate off Sri Lanka coast

On Wednesday, a US submarine torpedoed and sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka while it was returning from military exercises in India. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated the strike was an error, believing the vessel was safe in international waters. Casualty counts remain contested, with reports ranging from 84 to 87 deaths, while Iranian officials cited a crew of 130 and Sri Lankan authorities initially suggested 180 people were on board. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that three Australian military personnel were aboard the US submarine under the AUKUS training program, but explicitly denied their involvement in the strike. Separately, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced the evacuation of 208 crew members from a second Iranian vessel, the IRIS Bushehr, which reported engine failure near Sri Lankan waters and is being towed to Trincomalee for safety. Sri Lanka maintains a neutral stance, emphasizing the need for humanitarian protection in the region. Iran has officially condemned the sinking as an atrocity.