by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
WASHINGTON/COLOMBO (Worthy News) – An American submarine has destroyed an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka in the “first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II,” killing scores of people, the U.S. defense secretary confirmed Wednesday.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added that the leader of a group preparing to assassinate U.S. President Donald J. Trump was also killed.
“In the Indian Ocean…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 about the sinking of the vessel.
“The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, back when we were still the War Department, we are fighting to win,” he stressed.
Video footage reviewed by Worthy News appeared to confirm his assessment as the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran and Iranian targets entered their fifth day.
WARSHIP SUNK NEAR SRI LANKA
At least 80 crew members were killed, Sri Lanka’s deputy foreign minister said. The foreign minister had earlier stated that about thirty of the 180 people on board had been rescued, but that the rescue operation was still ongoing.
The ship sank about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Sri Lanka, officials said.
Sri Lanka’s navy said it received a distress call Wednesday morning and launched a rescue operation involving two naval vessels and a military aircraft.
Authorities said search teams continued to look for survivors in waters south of the island nation.
Hegseth also told reporters that the leader of an Iranian group accused of plotting to assassinate President Donald J. Trump had been killed, though he did not identify the individual.
TRUMP PLOT LEADER KILLED
“We have known for some time that Iran wanted to assassinate Trump and other American officials,” Hegseth said during a Pentagon press conference.
He stressed that the individual had not been the primary target of the military operation.
“But I made sure they were also placed on the target list,” he said in response to a journalist’s question.
Hegseth added that Washington believes it currently holds the upper hand in the war that the United States and Israel launched against Iran.
Speaking alongside General Dan Caine, he said there were signs that Iran had fired fewer missiles in recent days.
US CLAIMS WAR ADVANTAGE
According to Hegseth, Iran lacksthe endurance to sustain a prolonged conflict with the United States.
“We can easily sustain this fight as long as necessary,” he said.
The defense secretary repeatedly emphasized the strength of American and Israeli forces and the weakness of Iran’s military.
“It was never intended to be a fair fight,” Hegseth said.
“The Iranian air force is no more, and the Iranian navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf.”
AIRSPACE CONTROL EXPECTED
Within days, U.S. and Israeli air forces could achieve full control of Iranian airspace, he said.
General Caine added that the time had come to expand strikes deeper into Iranian territory.
The developments came as the regional conflict widened further on Wednesday.
Security officials said air defense systems detected and intercepted a ballistic missile believed to have been launched from Iran.
The missile traveled through Iraqi and Syrian airspace toward the eastern Mediterranean.
MISSILE TOWARD NATO AREA
Officials said the projectile was intercepted before it could enter Turkish airspace.
Debris reportedly fell in Turkey’s Hatay province, though no casualties were reported.
A Turkish official suggested the missile may have been heading toward a military installation in Cyprus before it was destroyed.
If confirmed, it would mark the first time an Iranian missile was detected on a trajectory toward territory linked to a NATO military alliance member state during the current conflict.
The incident raised concerns about the risk of the conflict expanding toward NATO territory.
IRAN STRIKES KURDISH TARGETS
Elsewhere, Iranian forces said they launched missile strikes against what they described as “separatist groups” in northern Iraq.
The targets were believed to be camps belonging to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups located near the Iranian border.
Nearly 10 percent of Iran’s population is believed to be Kurdish, with most living in the country’s northwest along the borders with Iraq and Turkey.
Northern Iraq contains an autonomous Kurdish region established after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
DRONE ATTACKS REPORTED
U.S. troops remain stationed in the Kurdish region, according to Iraqi authorities.
However, pro-Iranian Shiite militias in Iraq consider American forces there legitimate targets.
Drone attacks have recently been reported in the Kurdish regional capital Erbil and at its airport.
Reports also suggested pro-Iranian groups launched projectiles toward Kuwait, prompting complaints from Kuwaiti officials.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump has spoken with leaders in Iraq’s Kurdish region about possible steps against Iran, according to reports.
SHIPPING INCIDENT IN HORMUZ
Tensions also continued to rise at sea.
A container ship sailing through the Strait of Hormuz was struck by what maritime monitors described as an “unknown projectile” just above the waterline, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
A fire reportedly broke out in the vessel’s engine room after the impact, forcing the crew to abandon ship.
Reuters reported the vessel was sailing under the Maltese flag, though that information has not been independently confirmed.
GLOBAL SHIPPING AT RISK
The ship was located roughly two nautical miles (about 3.7 kilometers) north of an Omani exclave in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supplies passes.
It remained unclear who was responsible for the attack.
Officials in Washington and allied capitals warned that the situation remains fluid.
Military operations are continuing across several fronts as tensions spread across the Middle East and nearby waters.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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