U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key Iranian naval target was destroyed, confirming that the strike was carried out by a U.S. submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. Rescue efforts are now under way for the ship’s crew.
Speaking on Wednesday, Hegseth said the United States was “winning” the conflict and insisted American forces could continue operations for as long as necessary.
“Our air defences and those of our allies have plenty of runway. We can sustain this fight easily for as long as we need,” he told reporters.
The Pentagon also confirmed that a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that 180 people were aboard the vessel, identified as the IRIS Dena.
The ship had recently participated in a naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal from 18 to 25 February.
Sri Lankan navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said rescue operations began after a distress call from the Iranian vessel. Thirty-two people were rescued and are being treated in hospital in the southern port city of Galle, while several bodies have been recovered from the sea.
“The rescue boats did not see the ship but observed an oil slick,” Sampath said. He added that the incident occurred outside Sri Lankan waters but that Colombo remained committed to providing assistance.
Meanwhile, the top U.S. military officer said Iran is launching fewer missiles than at the start of the conflict as American strikes intensify deeper inside Iranian territory.
General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Pentagon briefing: “We will now begin to expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory and creating additional freedom of manoeuvre for U.S. forces.”
In a separate operation, the U.S. military said it had killed an Iranian official who led a unit accused of plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
Hegseth said the alleged assassination plot was not the main objective of the campaign but confirmed the individual had been “hunted down and killed”.
“Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh,” Hegseth said, adding that those responsible had eventually been placed on the U.S. target list.
European leaders gathered in Dublin on Thursday, 12 November, for the ninth European Political Community (EPC) summit, with security, defence and e...
Afghan and Russian businesses signed 15 trade agreements worth $103 million in Kabul on Thursday during a visit by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Al...
Rising demand for air cargo and expanding international aviation networks are opening up new trade opportunities for Central Asia and the South Cau...
UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark warning at this year's COP31 summit, saying the climate crisis iss advancing faster than governments' efforts to contain it.
European leaders gathered in Dublin on Thursday, 12 November, for the ninth European Political Community (EPC) summit, with security, defence and energy high on the agenda. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held talks focused on peace, trade and regional cooperation.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 11 November. Today, we cover Russia-Ukraine peace talks, political tensions in Washington, strikes in Spain, espionage allegations involving Nvidia's CEO, and climate negotiations at COP31 in Türkiye.
Iran will not let a single particle of its enriched nuclear material leave the country, and any new U.S. attack would be met with strikes on distant American bases, Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei has said.
Four million workers across Spain joined a general strike on Wednesday over the country’s deepening housing crisis, unions said, bringing disruption to factories, ports, shops and public transport just weeks before a snap general election.
Afghan and Russian businesses signed 15 trade agreements worth $103 million in Kabul on Thursday during a visit by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Afghanistan’s government said.
Rising demand for air cargo and expanding international aviation networks are opening up new trade opportunities for Central Asia and the South Caucasus, as countries invest in airports and strengthen their roles in global supply chains.
Kazakhstan’s security service has arrested Nurlan Zhakupov, CEO of Samruk-Kazyna, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, on suspicion of corruption. Yelzhas Otynshiyev, Chairman of KTZ, Kazakhstan’s national railway firm has also been detained.
An Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza has killed at least six people, including a surgeon, and wounded 20 others, according to Gaza’s civil defence service.
The competitiveness of international trade depends on how efficiently goods move across borders. These issues are in focus at the 22nd International Exhibition of Transport and Logistics – TransLogistica Uzbekistan 2026, taking place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 10 to 12 November.
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