In a recent announcement, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth praised the successful torpedo strike by a US submarine which sunk an Iranian warship that he claimed felt secure in international waters. He characterized the strike as a significant military achievement, marking the first sinking of an enemy vessel by torpedo since World War II, emphasizing that the US is determined to assert its presence in military engagements reminiscent of historic confrontations. Hegseth proclaimed that the Iranian naval forces are now ‘resting at the bottom of the Persian Gulf’ due to their ‘ineffectiveness,’ jokingly suggesting that they should choose a fitting adjective to describe their current status as they are no longer operational.

However, subsequent investigations by BBC Verify have challenged Hegseth's assertions, pointing out inaccuracies in his statements concerning the nature of the attack. Hegseth boldly declared that the sinking was an unprecedented event since World War II, but BBC's fact-checking referenced a similar incident in 1971 during the conflict between Pakistan and India, where a Pakistani submarine sank an Indian frigate. This scrutiny raises questions about the accuracy of US military communications and the implications of such statements amidst rising tensions in naval confrontations.