diff --git a/phylanx/ir/dictionary.hpp b/phylanx/ir/dictionary.hpp
index 6093b667f..1642c6e47 100644
--- a/phylanx/ir/dictionary.hpp
+++ b/phylanx/ir/dictionary.hpp
@@ -118,6 +118,9 @@ namespace phylanx { namespace ir {
         std::size_t size() const;
         bool empty() const;
 
+        bool has_key(
+            phylanx::execution_tree::primitive_argument_type const& key) const;
+
         phylanx::execution_tree::primitive_argument_type& operator[](
             phylanx::execution_tree::primitive_argument_type const& key);
         phylanx::execution_tree::primitive_argument_type& operator[](
diff --git a/phylanx/plugins/listops/delete_operation.hpp b/phylanx/plugins/listops/delete_operation.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..03d7284c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/phylanx/plugins/listops/delete_operation.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2021 Hartmut Kaiser
+//
+// Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
+// file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include <phylanx/config.hpp>
+#include <phylanx/execution_tree/primitives/base_primitive.hpp>
+#include <phylanx/execution_tree/primitives/primitive_component_base.hpp>
+
+#include <hpx/futures/future.hpp>
+
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <memory>
+#include <string>
+#include <utility>
+#include <vector>
+
+namespace phylanx { namespace execution_tree { namespace primitives {
+    /// \brief
+    /// \param
+    class delete_operation
+      : public primitive_component_base
+      , public std::enable_shared_from_this<delete_operation>
+    {
+    protected:
+        hpx::future<primitive_argument_type> eval(
+            primitive_arguments_type const& operands,
+            primitive_arguments_type const& args,
+            eval_context ctx) const override;
+
+    public:
+        static match_pattern_type const match_data;
+
+        delete_operation() = default;
+
+        delete_operation(primitive_arguments_type&& operands,
+            std::string const& name, std::string const& codename);
+
+    private:
+        primitive_argument_type delete_elements(
+            primitive_argument_type&& target,
+            primitive_argument_type&& index, eval_context ctx) const;
+
+        primitive_argument_type delete_from_dict(ir::dictionary&& target,
+            primitive_argument_type&& index, eval_context ctx) const;
+        primitive_argument_type delete_from_list(ir::range&& target,
+            primitive_argument_type&& index, eval_context ctx) const;
+    };
+
+    inline primitive create_delete_operation(hpx::id_type const& locality,
+        primitive_arguments_type&& operands, std::string const& name = "",
+        std::string const& codename = "")
+    {
+        return create_primitive_component(
+            locality, "delete", std::move(operands), name, codename);
+    }
+}}}    // namespace phylanx::execution_tree::primitives
diff --git a/phylanx/plugins/listops/listops.hpp b/phylanx/plugins/listops/listops.hpp
index e1f7fb1dc..16ce09f7d 100644
--- a/phylanx/plugins/listops/listops.hpp
+++ b/phylanx/plugins/listops/listops.hpp
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright (c) 2018 Hartmut Kaiser
+// Copyright (c) 2018-20s21 Hartmut Kaiser
 //
 // Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
 // file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 
 #include <phylanx/plugins/listops/append_operation.hpp>
 #include <phylanx/plugins/listops/car_cdr_operation.hpp>
+#include <phylanx/plugins/listops/delete_operation.hpp>
 #include <phylanx/plugins/listops/dictionary_operation.hpp>
 #include <phylanx/plugins/listops/len_operation.hpp>
 #include <phylanx/plugins/listops/make_list.hpp>
diff --git a/python/phylanx/ast/physl.py b/python/phylanx/ast/physl.py
index 6a176f7ba..23c3bbb3d 100644
--- a/python/phylanx/ast/physl.py
+++ b/python/phylanx/ast/physl.py
@@ -959,6 +959,25 @@ def _Constant(self, node):
         # everything that's not a string can be directly passed on
         return '%s' % node.value
 
+    def _Delete(self, node):
+        """class Delete(targets)
+
+        Represents a del statement.
+
+        `targets` is a list of nodes, such as Name, Attribute or Subscript nodes.
+        """
+
+        if len(node.targets) > 1:
+            raise Exception("Phylanx does not support del operators with " + \
+                            "more than one argument.")
+
+        if isinstance(node.targets[0], ast.Subscript):
+            target = self._apply_rule(node.targets[0].value)
+            index = self._apply_rule(node.targets[0].slice)
+            return ['delete', (target, index)]
+
+        return ''
+
     def _Div(self, node):
         """Leaf node, returning raw string of the 'division' operation."""
 
diff --git a/src/ir/dictionary.cpp b/src/ir/dictionary.cpp
index 42b6c4d35..12dc523ff 100644
--- a/src/ir/dictionary.cpp
+++ b/src/ir/dictionary.cpp
@@ -327,6 +327,12 @@ namespace phylanx { namespace ir {
         return dict().empty();
     }
 
+    bool dictionary::has_key(
+        phylanx::execution_tree::primitive_argument_type const& key) const
+    {
+        return dict().find(key) != dict().end();
+    }
+
     phylanx::execution_tree::primitive_argument_type& dictionary::operator[](
         phylanx::execution_tree::primitive_argument_type const& key)
     {
diff --git a/src/plugins/listops/append_operation.cpp b/src/plugins/listops/append_operation.cpp
index 073238b96..ffd679a6b 100644
--- a/src/plugins/listops/append_operation.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/listops/append_operation.cpp
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ namespace phylanx { namespace execution_tree { namespace primitives
     primitive_argument_type append_operation::handle_list_operands(
         primitive_argument_type && op1, primitive_argument_type && rhs) const
     {
-        ir::range lhs =
+        ir::range&& lhs =
             extract_list_value_strict(std::move(op1), name_, codename_);
 
         if (lhs.is_ref())
diff --git a/src/plugins/listops/delete_operation.cpp b/src/plugins/listops/delete_operation.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..82c632597
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/plugins/listops/delete_operation.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2021 Hartmut Kaiser
+//
+// Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
+// file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
+
+#include <phylanx/config.hpp>
+#include <phylanx/ir/dictionary.hpp>
+#include <phylanx/plugins/listops/delete_operation.hpp>
+#include <phylanx/util/matrix_iterators.hpp>
+
+#include <hpx/errors/throw_exception.hpp>
+#include <hpx/include/lcos.hpp>
+#include <hpx/include/util.hpp>
+
+#include <cstddef>
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <string>
+#include <utility>
+#include <vector>
+
+///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+namespace phylanx { namespace execution_tree { namespace primitives {
+
+    ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+    match_pattern_type const delete_operation::match_data = {
+        hpx::make_tuple("delete", std::vector<std::string>{"delete(_1, _2)"},
+            &create_delete_operation, &create_primitive<delete_operation>,
+            R"(target, index
+            Args:
+
+                target (list or dict) : the container to delete a value from
+                index (key or list) : the index (indices) of the element(s) to
+                    remove from the dictionary or list
+
+            Returns:
+
+            A new list or dictionary with the element(s) removed. Note that
+            `target` is not modified by this operation.)")};
+
+    ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+    delete_operation::delete_operation(primitive_arguments_type&& operands,
+        std::string const& name, std::string const& codename)
+      : primitive_component_base(std::move(operands), name, codename)
+    {
+    }
+
+    ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+    primitive_argument_type delete_operation::delete_from_dict(
+        ir::dictionary&& target, primitive_argument_type&& index,
+        eval_context ctx) const
+    {
+        if (!target.has_key(index))
+        {
+            HPX_THROW_EXCEPTION(hpx::bad_parameter,
+                "delete_operation::delete_from_dict",
+                generate_error_message(
+                    "attempting to delete a non-existing dictionary entry",
+                    ctx));
+        }
+
+        target.dict().erase(index);
+        return primitive_argument_type{std::move(target)};
+    }
+
+    primitive_argument_type delete_operation::delete_from_list(
+        ir::range&& target, primitive_argument_type&& index,
+        eval_context ctx) const
+    {
+        HPX_THROW_EXCEPTION(hpx::bad_parameter,
+            "delete_operation::delete_from_list",
+            generate_error_message(
+                "deleting an entry from list is not supported yet", ctx));
+    }
+
+    primitive_argument_type delete_operation::delete_elements(
+        primitive_argument_type&& target, primitive_argument_type&& index,
+        eval_context ctx) const
+    {
+        if (is_dictionary_operand_strict(target))
+        {
+            return delete_from_dict(extract_dictionary_value_strict(
+                                        std::move(target), name_, codename_),
+                std::move(index), std::move(ctx));
+        }
+
+        if (is_list_operand_strict(target))
+        {
+            return delete_from_list(
+                extract_list_value_strict(std::move(target), name_, codename_),
+                std::move(index), std::move(ctx));
+        }
+
+        HPX_THROW_EXCEPTION(hpx::bad_parameter,
+            "delete_operation::delete_elements",
+            generate_error_message("the delete_operation supports removing "
+                                   "elements from lists and dictionaries only",
+                ctx));
+    }
+
+    //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+    hpx::future<primitive_argument_type> delete_operation::eval(
+        primitive_arguments_type const& operands,
+        primitive_arguments_type const& args, eval_context ctx) const
+    {
+        if (operands.size() != 2)
+        {
+            HPX_THROW_EXCEPTION(hpx::bad_parameter, "delete_operation::eval",
+                generate_error_message(
+                    "the delete_operation primitive requires two arguments",
+                    ctx));
+        }
+
+        if (!valid(operands[0]) || !valid(operands[1]))
+        {
+            HPX_THROW_EXCEPTION(hpx::bad_parameter, "delete_operation::eval",
+                generate_error_message(
+                    "the delete_operation primitive requires that the "
+                    "argument given by the operand are valid",
+                    ctx));
+        }
+
+        auto this_ = this->shared_from_this();
+        return hpx::dataflow(
+            hpx::launch::sync,
+            [this_ = std::move(this_), ctx = std::move(ctx)](
+                hpx::future<primitive_argument_type>&& arg0,
+                hpx::future<primitive_argument_type>&& arg1) mutable
+            -> primitive_argument_type {
+                return this_->delete_elements(
+                    arg0.get(), arg1.get(), std::move(ctx));
+            },
+            value_operand(operands[0], args, name_, codename_, ctx),
+            value_operand(operands[1], args, name_, codename_, ctx));
+    }
+}}}    // namespace phylanx::execution_tree::primitives
diff --git a/src/plugins/listops/listops.cpp b/src/plugins/listops/listops.cpp
index bc1573358..c47b92650 100644
--- a/src/plugins/listops/listops.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/listops/listops.cpp
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright (c) 2018 Hartmut Kaiser
+// Copyright (c) 2018-2021Hartmut Kaiser
 //
 // Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
 // file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ PHYLANX_REGISTER_PLUGIN_MODULE();
 
 PHYLANX_REGISTER_PLUGIN_FACTORY(append_operation_plugin,
     phylanx::execution_tree::primitives::append_operation::match_data);
+PHYLANX_REGISTER_PLUGIN_FACTORY(delete_operation_plugin,
+    phylanx::execution_tree::primitives::delete_operation::match_data);
 PHYLANX_REGISTER_PLUGIN_FACTORY(dict_operation_plugin,
     phylanx::execution_tree::primitives::dict_operation::match_data);
 PHYLANX_REGISTER_PLUGIN_FACTORY(len_operation_plugin,
diff --git a/tests/regressions/python/1315_del_operator.py b/tests/regressions/python/1315_del_operator.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bc1342f71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/regressions/python/1315_del_operator.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#  Copyright (c) 2021 Steven R. Brandt
+#
+#  Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
+#  file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
+
+# 1315: Missing del operator for dictionaries
+
+from phylanx import Phylanx
+
+
+@Phylanx
+def test():
+    a = {"a": 1, "b": 2, "c": 3}
+    del a["a"]
+    return a
+
+
+result = test()
+assert result == {"b": 2, "c": 3}, result
diff --git a/tests/regressions/python/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/regressions/python/CMakeLists.txt
index 12aa2bc23..1b9607af8 100644
--- a/tests/regressions/python/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/regressions/python/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ set(tests
     1303_iterate_over_array
     1306_indexing
     1312_matrix_iteration
+    1315_del_operator
     array_len_494
     array_shape_486
     array_subscript_403