PENNY WONG TIGHT-LIPPED ABOUT CLAIM LINKING AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE PERSONNEL TO US SUBMARINE

• America sank an Iranian warship on Wednesday
• Australians were reportedly aboard the US vessel

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has refused to confirm reports that two Australian sailors were aboard a US submarine as part of a training rotation when it torpedoed an Iranian warship, killing 87.

The frigate, named the IRIS Dena, was hit with a Mark-48 torpedo fired by the nuclear-powered submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka between 6am and 7am AEDT on Wednesday.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth described the attack as a 'quiet death'.

The Sri Lankan navy claimed 87 bodies were recovered from the wreck and 32 Iranian sailors were rescued. The ship had about 180 people on board.

The Australian Defence Force personnel were on the US vessel as part of an AUKUS training rotation - in preparation for when Australia has its own nuclear submarines as part of the alliance, 9News reported.

The Defence Department did not identify the ranks of the Australians aboard the submarine.

'There are long-standing arrangements relating to third country deployments to ensure Australian interests are managed appropriately,' a spokesperson said.

'For operational security reasons, the Australian Defence Force does not disclose specific details regarding third country deployments, including the number of personnel or their location.

'As the United States and Israel have said, the military strikes were initiated and conducted by the United States and Israel - not Australia.'

When questioned by Greens senator David Shoebridge about the presence of Australian soldiers on the US submarine, Wong told the Senate: 'US submarine operations are a matter for the United States.'

'You ask about Australian Defence Force personnel … for operational and security reasons, we do not disclose specific information regarding Australian personnel.'

Wong has also refused to answer in recent days questions on whether intelligence facility Pine Gap assisted the US in strikes against Iran, and why two US P-8 Poseidon aircraft had visited RAAF Base Pearce, north of Perth, on Monday. 

Shoebridge claimed Australia had a 'wall of secrecy' around military matters that even the US does not have. 

In the US, Hegseth described the IRIS Dena as Iran's 'prize ship'. The frigate was one of Iran's newest warships. It patrolled deep water, was armed with heavy guns, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes, and carried a helicopter.

The warship was headed back to Iran after participating in joint military exercises off India's eastern coast. It sent out a distress signal while roughly 75 kilometres off the coast of Galle, on Sri Lanka's southwest coast.

Commander Buddhika Sampath said there was no sign of the ship by the time the Sri Lankan navy arrived, 'only some oil patches and life rafts... and people floating on the water'. 

Up to 100 Australians are set to be deployed on US submarines in 2026 as part of the AUKUS rotation program.

American leaders claimed Wednesday's attack marked the first time a US submarine had fired on an enemy warship since WWII.

Daily Mail has contacted the Australian Defence Force and Defence Minister Richard Marles for comment. 

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2026-03-05T09:42:28Z