The United States has confirmed the sinking of an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, with about 140 personnel reportedly missing following the incident.

US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, confirmed the attack, stating that an American submarine targeted and destroyed the vessel with a torpedo.

“In the Indian Ocean, we sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo.”

He, however, did not disclose the name of the vessel involved.

Earlier, the Sri Lanka Navy reported that the Iranian naval ship IRIS Dena went down off the coast of Galle in the Indian Ocean. The vessel was said to be carrying about 140 personnel at the time of the strike, all of whom remain unaccounted for.

The incident marks a major escalation in the already tense standoff involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Separately, Israel confirmed it carried out fresh strikes on what it described as “security headquarters” in Tehran as part of ongoing air operations within Iran. Residents of the Iranian capital reportedly described worsening humanitarian and security conditions amid sustained bombardment.

A three-day funeral ceremony for Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, which was earlier scheduled to begin in the evening, was reportedly postponed due to the intensifying strikes.

The conflict appears to be spreading beyond Iran’s borders. Israeli forces were said to have conducted strikes in Lebanon, including an attack on a hotel owned by a Lebanese businessman.

Further reports indicated that new attacks believed to have originated from Iran were recorded in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, while Turkey stated that “NATO defences” intercepted and shot down an Iranian missile.