Iranian vessel suffers engine failure, offloads crew days after US submarine sank other ship

An Iranian vessel offloaded much than 200 members of its unit to Sri Lanka connected Friday aft suffering an motor nonaccomplishment astatine sea, conscionable days aft a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship successful an Indian Ocean torpedo attack. 

The IRIS Bushehr, described in previous Iranian media reports arsenic a navy logistics ship, is being brought archetypal to the larboard of Colombo, according to Sri Lanka navy spokesman Cmdr. Buddhika Sampath. Sailors are being taken to a naval basal successful Welisara pursuing aesculapian exams and migration procedures. 

"We have to understand that this is not an mean situation," Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said Thursday. "It’s a petition by a vessel belonging to 1 enactment to enter into our port. We have to consider that according to the planetary treaties and conventions." 

Dissanayake added that authorities decided to instrumentality power of the IRIS Bushehr pursuing discussions with Iranian officials and the ship’s captain, aft 1 of its engines failed. He said immoderate unit members would stay connected committee to assistance the Sri Lankan navy aboriginal navigate the vas to Trincomalee connected the island’s northeast coast, astir 165 miles from Colombo.

Iranian navy unit basal aboard the IRIS Bushehr successful Port Sudan, Sudan, successful December 2012. The vessel ran into motor problems connected March 6, 2026, and is being taken to Sri Lanka, reports said. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

The moves travel aft the U.S. sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena disconnected Sri Lanka’s seashore connected Wednesday.  

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said it was "the archetypal sinking of an force vessel by a torpedo since World War II." 

The Indian navy said Thursday that it had initiated search and rescue operations aft receiving a distress awesome from the Dena, deploying two aircraft along with a sailing grooming vessel. By the clip the effect was launched, the Sri Lankan navy had already started its ain rescue efforts, it said.

The Sri Lankan navy rescued 32 sailors and recovered 87 bodies aft the attack, according to The Associated Press. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Thursday that the U.S. volition "bitterly regret" striking and sinking that ship. 

"The U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity astatine sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores," Araqchi wrote connected X. "Frigate Dena, a impermanent of India's Navy carrying astir 130 sailors, was struck successful planetary waters without warning."

US 'WINNING DECISIVELY' AGAINST IRAN, WILL ACHIEVE 'COMPLETE CONTROL' OF AIRSPACE WITHIN DAYS, HEGSETH SAYS

A U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship successful planetary waters successful the Indian Ocean, War Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Wednesday. (@DeptofWar/X)

"Mark my words: The U.S. volition travel to bitterly regret precedent it has set," helium added. 

Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters astatine the Pentagon connected Wednesday that the Iranian vas was "effectively neutralized" successful a Navy "fast attack" utilizing a azygous Mark 48 torpedo.

Two Iranian sailors, center, who were rescued from the IRIS Dena warship by Sri Lanka's navy, are seen successful Galle, Sri Lanka, connected Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Eranga Jayawardena/AP)

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He added that the U.S. Navy achieved "immediate effect, sending the warship to the bottommost of the sea." 

Fox News’ Stephen Sorace, Landon Mion and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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