Trump went off script about sinking Iranian warships and accidentally said something his own military probably wishes he hadn’t

President Donald Trump recently made some candid remarks about American forces actively sinking Iranian naval vessels. He also revealed that military personnel told him they prefer destroying ships over capturing them.

“He said, it’s more fun to sink him,” Trump recounted, according to News18, describing a conversation with US forces. “They like sinking him better. They say it’s safer to sink him. I guess it’s probably true.” This comment came as he explained why Iranian vessels are being destroyed rather than seized.

Trump also spoke about the US-Israel military campaign against Iran, saying the two countries are delivering heavy blows to Tehran’s military. “Together with our Israeli partners, we’re crushing the enemy in an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force,” he said, adding that Iran’s drone and missile capabilities are being destroyed.

The sinking of the Iris Dena marks the first US torpedo strike since World War Two and exposed uncomfortable details about the operation

A major moment in these operations was the sinking of the Iranian warship Iris Dena on March 4. The ship had 130 sailors on board and was struck by a torpedo fired from a US submarine in international waters off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, killing at least 87 crew members.

It was the first military strike outside the Middle East since the US and Israel launched their coordinated attacks on Iran, which has seen ongoing US-Israel strikes against Tehran’s infrastructure. Just days before the attack, India had given permission for the Iris Dena, along with two other Iranian ships, the Iris Bushehr and Iris Lavan, to dock at its ports. 

Iran had requested permission on February 28, the same day the US and Israel began their war on Iran. India granted permission on March 1. The three Iranian ships had taken part in a military exercise hosted by India in Visakhapatnam from February 15 to February 25. They left Indian waters on February 25 and were likely in international waters when attacks began on February 28. 

What happened to the three ships between March 1 and March 4 is not entirely clear, nor is it clear why only one of them made it to India. The Iris Lavan docked in Kochi, India, on March 4, and its crew is currently in Indian naval facilities. The Iris Bushehr was given shelter by Sri Lanka on March 5 after it reported an engine malfunction. The Iris Dena was operating about 20 nautical miles west of Galle, within Sri Lanka’s search-and-rescue zone, when it was struck.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the attack, saying the US had “perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores” and that the warship was “struck in international waters without warning.” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the strike as “the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two.” 

His comments about the war have previously drawn strong reactions, with families of fallen soldiers responding to Hegseth’s remarks about casualties in Iran. However, while it is the first time an American submarine has done this since 1945, the UK and Pakistan have both used torpedoes to sink ships since then. The Iris Dena is one of around 20 Iranian navy vessels destroyed since the US and Israel began their strikes on Iran.