U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday that American forces have struck or sunk more than 20 Iranian warships as part of an intensifying campaign to neutralize Tehran's naval capabilities. The disclosure came amid ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, now in their fifth day, under Operation Epic Fury.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed a key incident on Tuesday when a U.S. Navy fast-attack submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in international waters in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka's southern coast. The vessel, part of Iran's Southern Fleet and a Moudge-class warship, was hit by a single Mk-48 heavyweight torpedo, marking the first such sinking of an enemy warship by a U.S. submarine since World War II. Hegseth described the strike as a "quiet death" for the ship, which had been participating in a naval drill in the Bay of Bengal.

Sri Lanka's navy responded to a distress call from the IRIS Dena, rescuing 32 wounded sailors and recovering 87 bodies from the sea. Officials estimated around 180 people were aboard, with more than 100 still missing. Rescue operations involving ships and aircraft continued into Wednesday. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Adm. Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM, corroborated the sinking during a Pentagon briefing.

The broader naval effort has left no Iranian warships operational in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman as of Tuesday, according to a Pentagon map. U.S. forces have targeted nearly 2,000 sites across Iran using more than 2,000 munitions, focusing on air defenses, ballistic missiles, and naval assets. President Donald Trump stated earlier this week that nine Iranian naval ships had been destroyed, bringing the total to the latest.

The strikes aim to secure vital shipping lanes, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil passes. Traffic has dropped sharply, with only two tankers transiting on Monday compared to over 50 three days prior. The U.S. Navy is preparing to escort commercial vessels, Trump said. Iran has retaliated with attacks on U.S. sites in the Gulf, including a drone strike in Kuwait that killed six American service members.

CENTCOM released video footage showing the torpedo impact and smoking Iranian vessels, underscoring the campaign's progress. Hegseth emphasized that operations would continue "without mercy" to degrade Iran's ability to threaten maritime trade.