A chilling silence descended upon the Persian Gulf as an American submarine achieved a feat unseen for decades: the torpedoing and sinking of an enemy warship. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the stunning success of “Operation Epic Fury” Wednesday morning, marking the first such sinking since the end of World War II.
The target was the *Soleimani*, Iran’s flagship, a vessel named in honor of the slain military officer Qasem Soleimani. Hegseth described the attack as a “quiet death,” a swift and decisive blow delivered in international waters to a ship that believed itself secure. The implications of this action reverberate across the region.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine detailed the precision of the operation, explaining that a single Mark 48 torpedo, launched during a Navy “fast attack,” was all it took to “effectively neutralize” the vessel. The impact was immediate, sending the *Soleimani* to the seabed.
Hegseth didn’t mince words, painting a stark picture of the Iranian Navy’s current state. He offered a string of powerful descriptors – “combat ineffective, decimated, destroyed, defeated” – leaving no doubt about the outcome. The *Soleimani*’s loss represents a crippling blow to Iran’s naval capabilities.
The Secretary’s concluding remarks carried a pointed message, suggesting a sense of retribution. He noted the irony of President’s involvement in eliminating Soleimani twice, once through a drone strike and now through the destruction of the ship bearing his name. The Iranian Navy, he asserted, is now “no more.”
