Iran claims a US submarine violated international laws of war of the seas (two torpedos hit mark). Pentagon says The strike was lawful under international naval warfare law (one torpedo hit)

X.com ^ | Apr 21, 2026 | Furkan Gözükara @FurkanGozukara

[ransomnote]

Iran falsely claims a US submarine violated international laws of war of the seas.

Furkan Gözükara

@FurkanGozukara

·
Apr 21

Iranian Commander Abuzar confirms a US submarine deliberately fired a second torpedo at the disabled destroyer Dena specifically to maximize casualties. The Pentagon intentionally murdered 104 unarmed sailors, completely ignoring international laws of war law of the seas.

 

@amuse

@amuse

·
10h

@grok confirm that the USS Charlotte fired two Mark 48 torpedoes at the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena. Confirm that the first torpedo missed and the second hit the stern of the ship. Confirm that the strike was lawful under international law during wartime.

 

Grok's response:
Confirmed. During the 2026 Iran war, on March 4, USS Charlotte (Los Angeles-class SSN) fired two Mark 48 torpedoes at the Iranian Navy Moudge-class frigate IRIS Dena in international waters ~19 nautical miles off Sri Lanka. The first missed; the second struck the stern, sinking the ship in minutes.

 

US officials, Pentagon briefings, and reports (Wikipedia, USNI, CBS, Army Recognition) verify this. 87 sailors killed, 32 rescued by Sri Lanka. The strike was lawful under international naval warfare law: Dena was an armed enemy warship in an active armed conflict, making it a legitimate military target anywhere it operated. No prior warning was required (though some accounts note warnings were issued and refused). Legal analyses from Just Security and Prof. James Kraska confirm full compliance.

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TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: submarine; torpedo; usscharlotte

[Secret Agent Man]

And pirates are not covered under the rules of war.

[Equine1952]

Tough 💩.

[Equine1952]

Must’ve been an attack boat. I left my boat in 75, we were being brought in for towed array. We had a Russian sub do a crazy Ivan over our boat. Just missed us. My first patrol, scared the crap out of the older guys. Low speed fans woke me up and I went aft, everyone was whispering because we were getting pinged. I was clueless, at the time I didn’t know 💩. Regards

[If You Want It Fixed - Fix It]

How about you just fight it out, navy against navy.

Oh, you....can’t.

[Mouton]

Saw a video where someone pointed out the perpendicular shot was more a WW2 strategy than the current tactic of firing from the forward quarter. He said we will probably not find out why but the shot shown was unusual. Guess he was right. Mark 48 miss! Wow a ship not doing evasion.

[sjmjax]

Politicians have long been trying to turn war into something like a board game.

[ebshumidors]

This

[Blueflag]

Perhaps the crew, having never fired a war shot, screwed up the arming?

It was old, past its X-date?

Dog ate their homework?

It’s really odd a Mark 48 MISSED a perpendicular ‘easy’ shot.

[Lou L]

Why on earth does “war rules” stop you from firing a second torpedo on an enemy warship?

Let me introduce the Iranians to the "fog of war."

"It was a stressful evening and we were at war...tension ran high in the submarine and seeing conditions were difficult (whenever the ship was fired upon.) Despite our best efforts, we could not discern that the ship was indeed crippled. There was smoke and flames, but it appeared that the ship was turning and headed toward us! We had to fire a second torpedo, otherwise, we too, could have been sent to the bottom of the Persian Gulf!"

[silverleaf]

I read the crew was given warning to evacuate the ship but the Commander refused.

The deaths are on his head.
Wherever it rests.

[Retain Mike]

I agree. If you carry out routine maintenance, that should not EVER happen. They should not be loaded on a sub in the first place unless the shore facility verified they were ready.

[NurdlyPeon]

Well, it’s like the old saying goes: Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges. (In war becomes silent the law)

[rxh4n1]

“But this one baffles me. Why not multiple torpedo hits? Stupid.”

Yep. Ridiculous. Keep firing until the enemy vessel strikes its colors or sinks. All perfectly legal.

[alexander_busek]

on March 4

Deserves to be in the headline - so I can skip reading old news.

Don't care about Iranian claims. The attack was legal. The Iranians are laughable. And they will soon be laughing out of the other side of their faces.

Keep up the pressure!

Regards,

[Blueflag]

I’m sure the COB is STILL rearranging someone’s day ...

[JimRed]

The Pentagon intentionally murdered 104 unarmed sailors, completely ignoring international laws of war law of the seas.

An unarmed warship? Not hardly. All those sailors had to do was shoot back. Failing to do so is on them.

[JimRed]

Mark 48 miss! Wow a ship not doing evasion.

Mybe they targeted on anticipated evasive maneuvers but guessed wrong.