Three Australians were aboard a United States submarine that sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the trio – two believed to be sailors – were onboard the sub that fired a torpedo at the frigate IRIS Dena, which killed more than 80 soldiers.
Around 60 Iranian sailors were unaccounted for.
‘We wouldn’t normally confirm such an issue,’ Albanese told Sky News on Friday.
‘Given our NSC meetings and the public interest, I can confirm that there were three Australian personnel on board that vessel. I can confirm also, though, that no Australian personal have participated in any offensive action against Iran.’
It’d had been earlier reported that only two Australians were aboard.
The Department of Defence have refused to identify their rank or role onboard.
Albanese confirmed the trio were aboard the submarine as part of the AUKUS training program, which allows Australians to get experience across a range of assets, including on nuclear-powered submarines.
Three Australians were aboard a US submarine that torpedoed an Iranian warship this week
But Albanese said no Australian personnel have participated in offensive action against Ira
‘It’s not just personnel, it’s engineers, it’s technicians, it’s people learning those skills, whether they be in the United States or the United Kingdom,’ he said.
It’s understood up to 100 Australians are expected to be deployed on US submarines as part of the AUKUS program this year.
The IRIS Dena, which was on its way back to Iran, was about 75 kilometres off Galle, Sri Lanka when it sent a distress call in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The Sri Lankan navy responded to the ship’s distress signal and a vessel arrived to see patches of oil in the water and life rafts.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, former Royal Navy chief Lord West said the ship’s sinking transformed what had been a regional conflict into a ‘global war’.
‘It makes the situation rather tricky, as some will say this was outside the Area of Operations,’ West said.
‘While it is a horrible event, it is acceptable as the US is at war with Iran. Nobody declares war these days but that’s where we’re at.
‘This is now a global war. There would be nothing wrong with Iran attacking US targets anywhere. The toys have been thrown out of the cot. We are fighting a war.’
It is the first time since 1945 that an American submarine has sunk an enemy ship this way.
In 1982 the UK torpedoed the Argentine ship Belgrano during the Falklands conflict.
