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.
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A 77-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman were killed on Monday (4 May), after a man drove a car into a crowd on a pedestrianised street in the the eastern German city of Leipzig, authorities said.
At a time when geopolitical tensions continue to ripple across multiple regions, from Ukraine to the Middle East, the South Caucasus once again finds itself at the crossroads of diplomacy and uncertainty.
Austria has expelled three diplomats from the Russian Embassy over concerns that satellite installations on diplomatic buildings could be used for espionage.
A Russian missile strike killed six people in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on Monday (4 May), as Kyiv reported fresh attacks on energy infrastructure and a sharp rise in drone strikes on ports.
A 77-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman were killed on Monday (4 May), after a man drove a car into a crowd on a pedestrianised street in the the eastern German city of Leipzig, authorities said.
Iran warned Armerican forces on Monday (4 May) not to enter the Strait of Hormuz, after the U.S. said it had launched a mission to try and reopen the sea passage. Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister said there was no military solution to the Middle East conflict.
China has moved to block U.S. sanctions on five of its oil refineries, in a fresh escalation of tensions over trade and energy policy.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will “soon be reviewing” a new 14-point proposal sent by Iran, casting doubt on the chances of a deal after Tehran called for security guarantees, an end to naval blockades and a halt to the war across the region, including in Lebanon.
Ukraine has launched a new wave of drone strikes on Sunday (3 May) across Russia, hitting key infrastructure and causing casualties in several regions, officials on both sides said.
At a time when geopolitical tensions continue to ripple across multiple regions, from Ukraine to the Middle East, the South Caucasus once again finds itself at the crossroads of diplomacy and uncertainty.
A court in Sydney is set to review a non-publication order in the case of former Australian SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith, who is accused of war crime murder in Afghanistan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged Iraq’s prime minister-designate to form a government which reflects the country’s religious and ethnic diversity.
Uzbekistan has unveiled a series of major economic and regional initiatives as more than 4,000 delegates from over 100 countries gather in Samarkand for the 59th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), held under the theme “Crossroads of Progress.”
Minval Politika has released a third set of footage it says shows former International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo discussing the use of artificial intelligence in a project linked to Armenia and ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’.
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