At least 87 killed in US attack on Iranian warship off Sri Lanka's coast
At least 87 people were killed in a deadly US strike on an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka's coast, the country's deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday.
The Sri Lankan navy said rescue efforts are underway after a US submarine fired a torpedo at the Iranian frigate Iris Dena, which was manned by 180 people.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed to reporters at a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday that a submarine had conducted the attack, adding that "the Iranian navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf".
Hegseth screened footage of the strike, which was the first attack on Iran's military to take place outside the Middle East since the war began.
Sri Lanka's police and navy spokespeople said 61 sailors were still missing. At least 32 have been rescued and were taken to hospital in the city of Galle where they are receiving treatment, according to officials.
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Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that the rescue mission had been launched after their forces had received a distress call from an Iranian ship.
Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath reported that when rescue boats reached the site, the ship had already sunk, leaving only an oil slick. He added that no other ship or aircraft was observed nearby.
"We are hopeful we can rescue more people and will continue [operations] until we are sure," Sampath said.
The attack comes on the fifth day of Israeli-US attacks on Iran, which have killed over 1,000 civilians so far, including at least 153 school girls according to local reports confirmed by witnesses who spoke to Middle East Eye.
In response, Tehran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel and US military targets across the Middle East.
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