US Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship IRIS Dena Using Mark 48 Torpedo

On March 4, 2026, a U.S. Navy submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka using a Mark 48 torpedo, a heavyweight, wire-guided underwater missile developed in the 1960s. Torpedoes remain potent naval weapons due to their stealth and destructive capability, though their use has declined since World War Two with the rise of long-range anti-ship missiles. The sinking marks the first U.S. submarine-launched torpedo attack since World War Two.