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.
Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy says envoys from the United States will be visiting Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate an end to the conflict....
The Trump administration pressured U.S. space companies not to attend a high-profile space summit in Paris orga...
A Russian court on Thursday imposed restrictions on Lida Moniava, the founder of a children’s hospice, who is accused of spreading false info...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The U.S. has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites as Tehran retaliated against U.S. positions across the region, while Iranian officials said at least five people were killed and dozens wounded at a wedding near Sirik.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas says the bloc will tighten enforcement of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. EU foreign ministers were meeting in Ireland following renewed Russian strikes on cities across Ukraine.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
The Iranian Army has again struck at U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for U.S. attacks on southern and western parts of Iran late on Tuesday, which reportedly killed 18 people and injured more than 100 others.
Georgia's economy grew by eight per cent in July, and if you're wondering what's behind the surge, the answer is the same one that's been doing the heavy lifting all year: oil.
Russia’s Rosatom and Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants have signed a contract to build two units at the Balkhash nuclear power plant, with a combined capacity of 2.4 gigawatts.
The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine has called on churches around the world to intervene after teachers and school staff from the West Bank were prevented from reaching Christian schools in Jerusalem.
Israel is ready to move Palestinians from Gaza as soon as the U.S. approves, the country’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has said. He told a conference hosted by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday that there was “no real solution” for Gaza without migration.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment