'It's More Fun To Sink': US Forces Told Trump On Destroying Or Capturing Iran Ships Amid War

Last Updated:March 10, 2026, 11:26 IST

Donald Trump said American forces prefer sinking Iranian vessels rather than capturing them, claiming military personnel told him “it’s more fun to sink”.

US President Donald Trump said American forces were sinking Iranian naval vessels during the ongoing conflict, claiming military personnel told him that destroying the ships was preferable to capturing them.

“He said, it’s more fun to sink him. They like sinking him better. They say it’s safer to sink him. I guess it’s probably true," Trump said while describing a conversation with US forces about why Iranian vessels were being destroyed rather than seized.

Speaking about the military campaign involving the United States and Israel against Iran, Trump said the operation was delivering a powerful blow to Tehran’s military infrastructure.

“Now everybody understands it. Together with our Israeli partners, we’re crushing the enemy in an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force," Trump said.

He also claimed that Iran’s drone and missile capabilities were being dismantled.

“Iran’s drone and missile capability is being utterly demolished," Trump said.

The US President further asserted that Iranian naval forces had suffered heavy losses.

“The Navy is gone. It’s all lying at the bottom of the ocean. Forty-six ships. Can you believe it?" he said.

Trump recounted that he had questioned American personnel about why some vessels were not captured.

“In fact, I get a little upset with our people. I said, what quality of ship? ‘Excellent, sir. Top of the line’," he said.

“I said, why did we just capture the ship? We’re going to use it. Why did we sink him?"

According to Trump, the response from the military was that sinking enemy vessels was both safer and preferred.

DISPUTE OVER SUNKEN IRANIAN WARSHIP

Trump’s remarks come as the United States and Iran have offered sharply different accounts of the sinking of an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean last week, according to the Associated Press.

The United States Indo-Pacific Command rejected Iran’s claim that the warship IRIS Dena was unarmed when it was sunk in a submarine attack in international waters off Sri Lanka on March 4.

In a statement on X, the command called Iran’s assertion that the vessel was unarmed “false".

Iranian officials, however, have repeatedly insisted the ship was operating in a noncombat role and was returning home after taking part in a multinational naval exercise.

Some defence analysts, as quoted by the AP, have suggested that ships participating in international naval exercises often do not carry a full combat load of live munitions unless they are scheduled for live-fire drills.

IRAN CONDEMNS ATTACK AS ‘ATROCITY AT SEA’

Iran has strongly criticised the incident and maintained that the vessel had been attending the exercise in a ceremonial capacity.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said the warship had not been carrying weapons when it was struck by a US torpedo.

The IRIS Dena was sunk on March 4 in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka after being struck by a torpedo fired from a US submarine, according to American and Iranian officials cited by AP.

The Sri Lankan navy later rescued 32 sailors and recovered 87 bodies from the incident.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the IRIS Dena as a “prize ship" and said it “died a quiet death," while Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the attack “an atrocity at sea" and stressed that the vessel had been “a guest of India’s Navy," AP reported.

The dispute over whether the vessel was armed has intensified tensions surrounding the incident and highlighted how the US-Israeli war with Iran is spreading beyond the Middle East into wider international waters.

Two other Iranian vessels, the IRIS Bushehr and IRIS Lavan, are currently docked in Sri Lanka and India after seeking assistance from the two countries following the incident.

News world 'It's More Fun To Sink': US Forces Told Trump On Destroying Or Capturing Iran Ships Amid War

Read More