The United States said Friday its forces struck what appeared to be an Iranian drone carrier at sea while separately confirming that military investigators are examining an apparent strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran that reportedly killed scores of children.
The developments come amid a widening confrontation between Washington and Tehran that is increasingly spreading beyond the Middle East into broader maritime theaters.
Strike on Suspected Iranian Drone Carrier
The US military said early Friday that it had attacked what appeared to be an Iranian drone carrier that was later seen ablaze following multiple strikes.
Footage released by US Central Command showed black-and-white imagery of a large vessel on fire after the attack. The Iranian military did not immediately acknowledge the strike, and Tehran has provided limited details about its losses since hostilities escalated.
U.S. forces aren’t holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy. Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire. pic.twitter.com/WyA4fniZck
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 6, 2026
The vessel appeared to resemble the IRIS Shahid Bagheri, a converted container ship that Iran commissioned in February 2025 as part of efforts to expand its drone warfare capabilities at sea.
The ship features a roughly 590-foot runway designed for drone launches and has a reported range of about 22,000 nautical miles without refueling, according to reports published when the vessel was inaugurated.
US Central Command said the strike formed part of broader operations targeting Iranian naval assets, as US forces continue efforts to degrade Tehran’s maritime capabilities.
Investigation Into Strike on Girls’ School
Separately, US officials said the military is investigating an apparent strike on an Iranian girls’ school that occurred during the opening phase of the conflict.
Two US officials told Reuters that investigators believe it is possible American forces were responsible for the strike but stressed that the inquiry remains ongoing and no final conclusions have been reached.
Reuters was unable to independently determine key details of the investigation, including what type of munition may have been used, who carried out the strike or what targeting information may have been involved.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged earlier this week that the Pentagon had opened an investigation into the incident.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said investigators have not ruled out the possibility that additional evidence could emerge pointing to another party.
The school in Minab, in southern Iran, was struck on Saturday during the first day of US and Israeli attacks on the country.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said the strike killed 150 students, though the figure has not been independently verified.
Pentagon officials declined to comment on the investigation while it remains active.
“It would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation,” said Captain Timothy Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also declined to comment directly on the probe but said in a statement that “the Iranian regime targets civilians and children, not the United States of America.”
Iranian Frigate Sunk Near Sri Lanka
In a separate development highlighting the widening scope of the conflict, the United States confirmed that a US submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off the southern coast of Sri Lanka earlier this week.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the vessel was intercepted and destroyed with a torpedo in what he described as a “quiet death,” describing the attack as a rare instance of a US submarine sinking an enemy warship in modern conflict.
According to US officials, the frigate had been returning to Iran from an eastern Indian port when it was struck roughly 40 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s southern coastline.
Sri Lankan authorities said dozens of bodies of Iranian sailors were brought ashore in the southern city of Galle, while survivors were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Trump Signals Iran Conflict Could Extend Beyond Four-to-Five-Week Timeline
Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra said the vessel had been carrying about 180 crew members when it was struck, and that dozens were believed to have been killed, though the precise toll remained under investigation.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the attack, accusing the United States of carrying out “an atrocity at sea” and warning that Washington would “bitterly regret” the precedent set by targeting an Iranian naval vessel in international waters.
Iranian officials said the Dena had been returning from a visit to India, where it had participated in the International Fleet Review and Exercise MILAN 2026 in Visakhapatnam.
Regional and Strategic Implications
The sinking of the Dena and the expanding US operations against Iranian naval assets mark a significant escalation in the confrontation between the two countries.
By extending naval strikes into the Indian Ocean, the conflict appears to be moving beyond its traditional Middle Eastern theaters and drawing in regional actors.
The incident has also placed India in a delicate diplomatic position, given that the Iranian frigate had recently participated in naval activities hosted by the Indian Navy before departing the region.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, faces the immediate humanitarian and diplomatic consequences, with casualties washing ashore and local authorities conducting investigations in Galle.
Analysts say the episode underscores how maritime spaces far from the Persian Gulf are increasingly becoming arenas for strategic rivalry between major powers.
As the confrontation intensifies, the incidents highlight the risk that the conflict could expand further — both geographically and militarily — unless diplomatic channels succeed in containing it.
Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
Kiran Asim is a writer who covers the U.S., Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East. Her reports and analyses look at the geostrategic issues and contemporary developments and their economic and political implications. She also writes about society and education.
