As part of the ongoing U.S.-led Operation Epic Fury, American forces struck the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy’s IRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi, a state-of-the-art Soleimani-class missile catamaran corvette, near its home port in Bandar Abbas on Wednesday. The attack comes just hours after the sinking of another Iranian warship, the frigate IRIS Dena, by a U.S. submarine in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sri Lanka, marking a significant intensification in the naval dimension of the conflict amid heightened tensions between the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
U.S. forces have struck or sunk to the bottom of the ocean more than 20 ships from the Iranian regime. Last night, CENTCOM added a Soleimani-class warship to the list. pic.twitter.com/KgW8cS726P
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 4, 2026
The strike on the Shahid Sayyad Shirazi occurred in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil trade. Footage and images circulating on social media show the vessel engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke billowing from its deck. The ship however remains afloat. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the operation, stating that the corvette was targeted as part of broader efforts to degrade Iranian naval capabilities.
The ship was commissioned in 2024 and is equipped for missile launches, drone operations, and anti-piracy missions. The Shahid Soleimani-class vessel carries both Nawab and Sayad cruise missile systems.
Exclusive /
IRGC Navy's IRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi, Soleimani-class corvette warship has been targeted.
Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, #Iran(Do not watermark my media please, copy/use/share AS IS) pic.twitter.com/eOzhrlgrXo
— Shin (@hey_itsmyturn) March 4, 2026
This latest incident follows the devastating loss of the IRIS Dena earlier the same day. The Mowj-class frigate, carrying approximately 180 crew members, was returning from a joint military exercise in India when it was hit by a torpedo from a U.S. submarine near Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan authorities, responding to a distress call just outside their territorial waters near Galle, rescued 32 critically injured sailors and recovered a few bodies, but at least 101 crew members remain missing, with reports of over 80 fatalities.
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly acknowledged the submarine attack, describing it as a necessary response to Iranian aggression.
Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, 2026, in coordination with Israeli forces, has targeted Iranian military assets following a series of attacks on U.S. and allied targets attributed to Tehran. The campaign has already claimed several Iranian vessels, including the drone carrier Shahid Bagheri, forward base ship IRNIS Makran, and Bayandor-class corvettes IRIS Bayandor and IRIS Naghdi. As per CENTCOM, U.S. forces have struck or sunk to the bottom of the ocean more than 20 ships from the Iranian regime so far.
