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| The USS Charlotte sank an Iranian frigate in March 2026 |
Recently, a war broke out between the United States and Iran. As part a military action, the USS Charlotte torpedoed the Iranian Navy frigate IRIS Dena on 4 March 2026.
This is the first time an American submarine sunk an enemy vessel since World War 2. The last American submarine to do so was USS Torsk in 14 August 1945.
This incident sparked some outcry from the public, claiming it was a war crime. The most prominent claims were that the IRIS Dena just was unarmed and that the Americans did not offer lifeboats to the sailors of the sunk vessel.
In this post, I will put politics aside examine the claims as objectively as I can.
Is it a war crime to sink an unarmed vessel?
No, it is not. To quote Professor Marko Milanovic (of international law), it is "targeting a military vessel is not a war crime."
As long as the military vessel is not a hospital ship or is not surrendering, IRIS Dena is a valid target. Furthermore, to claim that the vessel is unarmed ignores the fact that the whole ship is a weapon in itself. Ships can do damage by ramming, or act in a supporting role by detecting submarines.
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| USS Torsk |
Are the Americans obligated to rescue the sailors?
Another accusation is that the Americans should have attempted to rescue the sailors. After all, there were incidents where even Germans and Japanese provided rescue during World War 2. Does this mean that the Americans are worse that the Nazis and Imperialists?
Of course not. Article 18 of the second Geneva Conventions state that
"After each engagement, parties to the conflict shall, without delay, take all possible measures to search for and collect the shipwrecked, wounded, sick, and dead."
However, the duty is to take "all possible measures" — meaning it is qualified by feasibility, safety, and circumstances (e.g., a submarine may not be able to surface safely to rescue survivors without risking its own crew or mission, due to its design and operational constraints).
Military submarines are known to be crammed and lacking of additional rescue facilities and thus can be argued that they are under no obligation to rescue the sailors.
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