Middle East crisis live: US submarine sank Iranian warship, Hegseth says - The Guardian

US is investigating deadly strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school girls school in southern Iran, Hegseth says

When asked, defence secretary Pete Hegseth said that the US was investigating the deadly strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls school in Minab, but provided no further details.

“All I can say is we’re investigating that,” Hegseth said. “We, of course, never target civilian targets, but we’re taking a look and investigating that.”

According to Iranian state media, up to 168 people were killed by the strike and 95 injured – figures that the Guardian has not been able to verify.

US has 'effectively neutralised' Iran's naval presence, Caine says

Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, has taken to the podium to provide more details about the conflict with Iran.

He supported the statements made earlier by defence secretary Pete Hegseth about the Iranian navy. “To date, we’ve hit over 2,000 targets. We destroyed more than 20 Iranian naval vessels in addition to the frigate outside of the area,” Caine said adding that the US has “effectively neutralised Iran’s major naval presence and theatre out there”.

“For the first time since 1945, a United States Navy fast-attack submarine has sunk an enemy combatant ship…This is an incredible demonstration of America’s global reach. To hunt, find and kill an out of area deployer is something only the United States can use with this kind of skill,” Caine said.

Hegseth finished his remarks by praising Israel as a “steadfast partner” and “capable ally”.

“To our steadfast partner, Israel: your mission is being executed with unmatched skill and iron determination. Fighting shoulder to shoulder with such a capable ally is a true force multiplier and a breath of fresh air. We salute your courage and your contribution,” Hegseth said.

“We have only just begun to fight. America fights to win and in Operation Epic Fury, we are.”

Person charged with attempted assassination of Trump killed, Hegseth said

Joseph Gedeon

Killed in the strikes on Iran is the person who led a plot to assassinate Donald Trump, Pentagon secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on Wednesday morning.

“The leader of the unit who attempted to assassinate President Trump has been hunted down and killed,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing.

The plot dates back to 2024, when federal prosecutors under the Biden administration charged 51-year-old Iranian national Farhad Shakeri and two New York men with running a murder-for-hire operation on behalf of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. The aim, the department of justice said at the time, was revenge for Trump’s killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in 2020.

Shakeri had been personally directed by an IRGC official to assassinate Trump during the presidential campaign, prosecutors said.

Hegseth confirmed that a US submarine sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian ocean as he declared that the Iranian navy “rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf” and that it was “ineffective, decimated, destroyed…pick your adjective, it is no more.”

He said that on Tuesday, an American submarine in the Indian ocean “sunk an Iranian war ship that thought it was safe in international waters.”

“Instead it was sunk by a torpedo, a quiet death – the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, back when we were still the war department, we are fighting to win.”

Rules of engagement designed to "unleash American power", Hegseth says.

“We’re playing for keeps,” Hegseth said. “Our war fighters have maximum authorities granted personally by the president and yours truly. Our rules of engagement are bold, precise and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it.

He continued: “This was never meant to be a fair fight and it is not a fair fight. We are punching them while they’re down, which is exactly how it should be.”

Hegseth: US and Israel will have 'complete' control of Iranian skies in 'under a week'

Hegseth continued his remarks by saying that in under a week, the “two most powerful air forces in the world” – the US and Israel – “will have complete control of Iranian skies, uncontested air space.”

“We will fly all day, all night, day and night, finding, fixing and finishing the missiles and defence industrial base of the Iranian military,” Hegseth said.

“Finding and fixing their leaders and their military leaders. Flying over Tehran, flying over Iran, flying over their capital, flying over the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), Iranian leaders looking up and seeing only US and Israeli air power. Every minute of every day until we decide it’s over. And Iran will be able to do nothing about it.”

The US and Israel’s strikes against Iran continue, with the Israeli military announcing a “broad wave of strikes” against Tehran’s security forces.

A new in the fighting has opened in Lebanon, where the Israeli military says it is targeting Hezbollah strongholds south of the country. It issued an “urgent warning” to residents of a large swathe of southern Lebanon urging them to evacuate to the north of the Litani River.

Iran has upped its retaliatory strikes against Israel and US targets across the region. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait all announced Iranian attacks today.

Nearly 150 people could be missing after an Iranian warship sank off the coast of Sri Lanka. Authorities said 32 people were rescued while they search for other survivors. It was not immediately clear what happened or how many people were on board the 180-crew frigate Iris Dena.

Clerics in Iran say they are close to choosing a successor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to state media. It is widely suggested that his second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could replace him.

The funeral ceremony for Khamenei that was supposed to take place tonight in Tehran has been postponed. State media, citing officials, reported that the funeral was delayed to allow time for expanded infrastructure due to “overwhelming demand”. No timeframe was given of when the funeral will take place.

The death toll in Iran has reached 1,045 people, according to Iranian officials. Iran’s foundation of martyrs and veteran affairs said the death toll represented the number of bodies that have been identified and prepared for burial, state media reported.

Turkish authorities said a missile launched from Iran and headed towards Turkey’s air space was shot down by Nato air defence systems. The Turkish defence ministry said there were no casualties or injuries in the incident.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has hit back at Donald Trump after he made scathing comments over Spain’s position that joint military bases could not be used for attacks on Iran.“The position of the government of Spain can be summed up in four words: no to war [no a la guerra],” Sanchez said in a televised address.

'America is winning' in Iran conflict, Hegseth says

Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, has taken to the podium at the Pentagon to provide an update on the conflict.

“I stand before you today with one unmistakable message about Operation Epic Fury,” Hegseth said. “America is winning. Decisively, devastatingly and without mercy.”

IDF launch fresh attacks in southern Lebanon as people urged to flee north

The IDF just announced that it has begun “a wave of attacks in southern Lebanon”.

In an earlier statement, the IDF said it targeted underground weapons depots and headquarters in Beirut belonging to Hezbollah.

“The IDF attacked in Beirut over the past 24 hours, completing another wave of attacks against infrastructure of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah,” it said in a post on social media.

It comes as the Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned people in southern Lebanon to move north.

In a message posted on social media, he said:

For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately. Anyone who is near Hezbollah operatives, facilities, or weapons is putting their life at risk.

Any house used by Hezbollah for military purposes may be targeted. To the residents of southern Lebanon, you must head immediately north of the Litani river. For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move north beyond the Litani river.