rewrite this - GALLE, Sri Lanka/WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) - A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, killing dozens of sailors and dramatically widening Washington's pursuit of the Iranian navy. Sri Lanka's deputy

GALLE, Sri Lanka/WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) - A U.S. submarine has sunk an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, resulting in the deaths of dozens of sailors and significantly escalating Washington's campaign against the Iranian navy. Sri Lanka's deputy foreign minister confirmed that the ship was the frigate IRIS Dena, which was returning to Iran after a visit to a port in eastern India. The incident took place hundreds of miles across the Indian Ocean from the Gulf, an area where U.S. and Israeli forces are actively targeting Iran, prompting retaliatory missile and drone strikes from Tehran. "An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that believed it was safe in international waters," U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated at the Pentagon. "Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. A quiet demise." Hospital officials in Galle reported that military rescuers responding to a distress call in the early morning hours brought in 87 bodies. An additional 32 individuals were rescued and are currently receiving treatment in the hospital, while around 60 people are still unaccounted for from an estimated 180 crew members aboard the ship, according to Sri Lankan authorities. "People were floating in the water," eyewitnesses reported. A Pentagon video allegedly captured the moment of the attack, showing a massive explosion that shattered the rear of the warship, lifting it from the surface before it began to sink from the stern. The specific date of the footage's recording and the type of warship involved remain unverified, but the vessel's deck design and mast correspond with known imagery of the IRIS Dena. Prior to this incident, the Iranian vessel participated in a naval exercise organized by India in the Bay of Bengal from February 18 to 25, as noted on the drill's official website.