In a historic move not seen since the end of World War II, a US submarine has sunk an Iranian warship using a torpedo, as confirmed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday. During a Pentagon press briefing, Hegseth explained, “An American submarine took down an Iranian vessel that mistakenly thought it was secure in international waters. It met its fate through a torpedo strike, marking the first such incident since WWII.” The torpedo hit occurred on Monday somewhere in the Indian Ocean, though the specific ship was unidentified by Hegseth. However, reports from earlier mentioned an Iranian vessel going down near Sri Lanka.

Footage captured from the US submarine reveals the dramatic moment the Iranian ship is struck, causing it to violently lurch upwards before erupting into a massive cloud of smoke. The rear section, seemingly the point of impact, briefly lifts out of the water post-explosion. Sri Lanka’s foreign affairs minister, Vijitha Herath, shared that the event unfolded around 5 am local time. Addressing parliament, he confirmed that 180 individuals were aboard the Iranian ship, identified as the IRIS Dena.

“By 6 am, we had dispatched one naval vessel, and another followed by 7 am,” Hegseth added. According to Sri Lankan authorities, the torpedo attack resulted in at least 80 fatalities, with 32 crew members rescued and treated at a nearby hospital. The IRIS Dena, one of Iran’s most modern warships, boasted an array of armaments, including surface-to-air missiles, a cannon, machine guns, torpedo launchers, and anti-ship missiles. It had recently participated in naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal, running from February 18 to 25, as noted on the drill’s official website.

‘The Iranian Navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf,’ Hegseth said. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine celebrated the feat alongside Hegseth at the Pentagon, noting that the US has struck over 2,000 targets. ‘We’ve destroyed more than 20 Iranian naval vessels,’ Caine said. ‘Iran’s major naval presence in theater out there, as the Secretary showed the video, for the first time since 1945, a United States Navy fast attack submarine has sunk an enemy combatant ship using a single Mark 48 torpedo to achieve immediate effect, sending the warship to the bottom of the sea.’

Entering day five of the conflict, over a thousand are confirmed dead. At least 1,045 people have been killed in Iran, the country’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said Wednesday. In Israel, 11 people have been killed. More than 50 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry. At least six US troops have been killed.