In what military historians are already calling the most significant naval engagement since the Second World War, the United States Navy has confirmed the sinking of Iran’s flagship aircraft carrier, the IRIS Shahid Bagheri — a vessel Tehran spent a decade building in secret and paraded as the ultimate symbol of Persian sea power.

The strike, carried out in the northern Arabian Sea, involved a coordinated salvo of Tomahawk cruise missiles and MK‑48 heavyweight torpedoes fired from two Los Angeles‑class submarines operating in silent‑running mode deep below the surface. B‑2 stealth bombers simultaneously targeted the carrier’s escort frigates and destroyer screen, shredding the protective ring before the kill shots were delivered.

At over 65,000 tons displacement and nearly 300 metres in length, the Bagheri dwarfs every warship sunk since the Japanese super‑battleship Yamato went down in April 1945 — making this single engagement a watershed moment in modern naval warfare.

Iran’s Supreme Leader has declared a national day of mourning, vowing “the most devastating response in history,” as Revolutionary Guard commanders scramble to assess catastrophic losses — including dozens of fighter jets, helicopters and an estimated 2,400 crew members believed to have gone down with the ship.

Global oil markets have erupted. Brent crude surged past $140 per barrel within minutes of the Pentagon’s confirmation, while emergency sessions of the UN Security Council have been called. The Strait of Hormuz, already rattled by mine warfare and SEAL operations, now sits at the absolute epicentre of a conflict that no longer fits any previous definition of a “limited strike campaign.”

For the United States, the sinking sends an unmistakable signal: no Iranian asset — however large, however fortified — lies beyond Washington’s reach.