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“The First Sinking of an Enemy Ship by a Torpedo Since World War II,” Pete Hegseth Says During a Department of War Press Briefing Announcing That an American Submarine Sunk an Iranian Warship in the Indian Ocean

  • Rob Glenn
  • March 6, 2026

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said an American submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, calling it the first time an enemy vessel has been destroyed by a torpedo since World War II.

The remarks came during a March 4 press briefing alongside Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where Hegseth discussed ongoing U.S. military operations against Iran amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

“Their navy, not a factor. Pick your adjective, it is no more,” Hegseth said during the briefing. “In fact, yesterday in the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo — quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II.”

Hegseth made the comments while outlining recent developments in the growing conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iranian military targets. The briefing was intended to provide an update on the situation following a series of strikes and retaliatory actions that began in late February.

Further details about U.S. naval operations were provided the following day during a March 5 briefing at United States Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Speaking alongside Hegseth, CENTCOM commander Brad Coopersaid U.S. forces had destroyed or sunk more than 30 Iranian vessels since the start of the operation.

“You may have heard the president say, just a little while ago, that we have sunk or destroyed 24 ships. That was true at the moment — we’re now up over 30 ships,” Cooper said during the briefing.

He added that U.S. forces had recently struck what he described as an Iranian drone carrier vessel. “In just the last few hours, we hit an Iranian drone carrier ship, roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier,” Cooper said. “And as we speak, it’s on fire.”

Cooper said the naval strikes were part of a broader military campaign aimed at degrading Iran’s military capabilities, including ballistic missile systems and naval assets. U.S. officials have said the operation is intended to reduce Iran’s ability to threaten American forces and allies in the region.