He declared that \u201cAmerica is winning\u201d and suggested that in under a week the US and Israel \u201cwill have complete control of Iranian skies, uncontested airspace\u201d.<\/p>\n
The leader of the Iranian covert unit that planned to assassinate Trump in 2024 had been killed in the strikes, Hegseth said.<\/p>\n
Dan Caine, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, who also spoke at the briefing, said more than 20 Iranian naval vessels have been destroyed, and that the US has \u201ceffectively neutralised Iran\u2019s major naval presence\u201d.<\/p>\n
Hegseth said the US is able to continue the military action against Iran \u201cfor as long as we need to\u201d, saying Iran \u201ccan no longer shoot the volume of missiles they once did\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Pentagon continued to deny responsibility for a strike on a girls\u2019 school in Iran<\/a> on Saturday that killed a reported 168 people. \u201cAll I can say is that we\u2019re investigating, and that we, of course, never target civilian targets,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 5m ago<\/p>\n Was it legal for the US to sink an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean?<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 24m ago<\/p>\n From petrol to groceries: how Middle East crisis is driving up prices<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 37m ago<\/p>\n Iranian president tells neighbouring countries that Iran respects their sovereignty<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Israeli air force says it has dropped 5,000 bombs on Iran in current military campaign<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n At least 80 people killed after US submarine torpedoes Iran warship, officials say<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n Key points from Pentagon briefing<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n China and Russia are \u2018non-factors\u2019 in Iran war, says Hegseth<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n Hegseth: Iran cannot outlast us<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n Hegseth says Iran can no longer shoot volume of missiles as before<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n US is investigating deadly strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school girls school in southern Iran, Hegseth says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n US has ‘effectively neutralised’ Iran’s naval presence, Caine says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Hegseth: We have only just begun to fight<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Person charged with attempted assassination of Trump killed, Hegseth said<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Hegseth confirms sinking of Iranian warship<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Rules of engagement designed to “unleash American power”, Hegseth says.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Hegseth: US and Israel will have ‘complete’ control of Iranian skies in ‘under a week’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Summary of developments so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n ‘America is winning’ in Iran conflict, Hegseth says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n IDF launch fresh attacks in southern Lebanon as people urged to flee north<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n Nato condemns Iran’s targeting of Turkey<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n Iran death toll reaches 1,045, officials say<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Nearly 150 missing after Iranian warship sinks near Sri Lanka – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Who is Mojtaba Khamenei? The son of late supreme leader Khamenei seen as potential successor<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Iran state funeral for Khamenei postponed – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n UN ‘deeply disturbed’ by reports of Iran school strike that killed 160 children<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Donald Trump \u2018really does not care\u2019 if Iran play at World Cup 2026<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Tell us: how have you been affected by the latest events in the Middle East?<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n EU sees no immediate effect of Iran conflict on gas supply security – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Hezbollah says it targeted Israel’s major aerospace and aviation company<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n Iran close to choosing new supreme leader – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n Senior Khamenei aide says Iran won\u2019t negotiate with US<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n Trump ‘betrayed diplomacy and Americans who elected him’, says Iran foreign minister<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n IDF says Israeli F-35 fighter jet shot down manned Iranian warplane in Tehran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Spain’s position is ‘no to war’, says Sanchez<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Israel-US strikes on Iran appear \u2018inconsistent with international law\u2019, says Canadian PM<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Summary of developments so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n Loud explosion in Tehran – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n Dozens rescued from sinking Iranian warship near Sri Lanka<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n Israel threatens to assassinate Ali Khamenei’s replacement<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Iran Guards say launched more than 40 missiles at US, Israeli targets<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Iranians to bid farewell to late Supreme Leader Khamenei in Tehran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 12h ago<\/p>\n UK government charter flight for British nationals in Oman<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 12h ago<\/p>\n Conflicting claims over the strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 12h ago<\/p>\n Global markets roiled by conflict<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Six killed in Israeli strikes south of Beirut<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Opening summary<\/p>\n <\/a>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Was it legal for the US to sink an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean?<\/p>\n The US strike on an Iranian warship, which killed more than 80 crew members, is illegal, according to Wes Bryant, a former U.S. Air Force Special Operations targeting expert and former chief of civilian harm assessments at the Pentagon.<\/p>\n The Iris Dena, a 1.5 ton warship bearing Iranian missiles, was reportedly transiting home after participating in training exercises hosted by the Indian navy at the time of the strike, according to Indian press<\/a>. India had convened naval assets from 74 countries for a March exercise.<\/p>\n \u201cWas that warship actively posing a threat or participating in hostiles?\u201d asked Bryant. \u201cYou cannot say that this warship was an imminent threat to anyone. By targeting it, is the Trump administration saying that the imminent threat is all of Iran\u2019s government and military?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf so, that\u2019s an incredibly dangerous example of military overreach,\u201d Bryant said.<\/p>\n Bigger picture, lawyers have said<\/a> that the US operations against Iran are patently illegal, and several have raised concerns about the broader conflict that US aggression has kicked off.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m holding Trump responsible, not just for US military<\/a> strikes, but for the foreseeable consequences of launching these attacks,\u201d said Brian Finucane, a former state department lawyer. \u201cIt was not only foreseeable, but it was also widely predicted that Iran would respond\u2026 That\u2019s why aggression is a crime under international law. \u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>From petrol to groceries: how Middle East crisis is driving up prices The conflict in the Middle East<\/a> has disrupted global supply chains and triggered price rises across a range of categories, prompting accusations of price gouging and warnings of worse to come if the conflict persists.<\/p>\n Here we take a look at the impact so far.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.21 EST<\/p>\n Iranian president tells neighbouring countries that Iran respects their sovereignty<\/p>\n Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran\u2019s president, posted a message on X to the leaders of Iran\u2019s neighbouring countries that Iran<\/a> respects their countries\u2019 sovereignties.<\/p>\n Pezeshkian said that Iran had strived to avoid war but the attack from the US and Israel<\/a> left them no choice but to defend themselves.<\/p>\n \u0623\u0635\u062d\u0627\u0628 \u0627\u0644\u062c\u0644\u0627\u0644\u0629\u060c \u0631\u0624\u0633\u0627\u0621 \u0627\u0644\u062f\u0648\u0644 \u0627\u0644\u0635\u062f\u064a\u0642\u0629 \u0648\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0627\u0631\u0629\u060c \u0633\u0639\u064a\u0646\u0627 \u0645\u0639\u0643\u0645 \u0648\u0639\u0628\u0631 \u0627\u0644\u062f\u0628\u0644\u0648\u0645\u0627\u0633\u064a\u0629 \u0644\u062a\u062c\u0646\u0651\u0628 \u0627\u0644\u062d\u0631\u0628\u060c \u0644\u0643\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u062f\u0648\u0627\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0633\u0643\u0631\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0645\u0631\u064a\u0643\u064a-\u0627\u0644\u0635\u0647\u064a\u0648\u0646\u064a \u0644\u0645 \u064a\u062a\u0631\u0643 \u0644\u0646\u0627 \u062e\u064a\u0627\u0631\u0627\u064b \u0633\u0648\u0649 \u0627\u0644\u062f\u0641\u0627\u0639 \u0639\u0646 \u0623\u0646\u0641\u0633\u0646\u0627. \u0646\u062d\u062a\u0631\u0645 \u0633\u064a\u0627\u062f\u062a\u0643\u0645\u060c \u0648\u0646\u0624\u0645\u0646 \u0628\u0623\u0646 \u0623\u0645\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0646\u0637\u0642\u0629 \u0648\u0627\u0633\u062a\u0642\u0631\u0627\u0631\u0647\u0627 \u064a\u062c\u0628 \u0623\u0646 \u064a\u062a\u062d\u0642\u0642 \u0628\u062c\u0647\u0648\u062f \u062f\u0648\u0644\u0647\u0627 \u0645\u062c\u062a\u0645\u0639\u0629.<\/p>\n \u2014 Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) March 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Iran\u2019s neighbouring countries have spent the conflict intercepting missiles and drones, with a few getting past their air defences and hitting targets. The United Arab Emirates said it has been exposed to more than 1,000 attacks Iran <\/a>since the conflict began, with a drone causing a small fire near the US embassy in Dubai yesterday. Three people have been killed.<\/p>\n The US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was hit by a drone strike, as well as a port in Oman.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.53 EST<\/p>\n Here are some images of the conflict in the Middle East coming out over the wires:<\/p>\n Women prepare a makeshift memorial in tribute to Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street on 04 March 2026. Photograph: Majid Asgaripour\/ReutersA man places Iran’s national flag atop the ruins of a damaged police station building in central Tehran, Iran on 04 March 2026. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh\/EPASmoke billows following an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh, a predominantly Shia Muslim suburb in the south of Beirut, Lebanon on 04 March 2026. Photograph: Wael Hamzeh\/EPAIsraeli tanks are positioned next to the Israeli-Lebanon border in upper Galilee in Israel on 04 March 2026. Photograph: Atef Safadi\/EPAA man inspects a damaged house struck by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Hatzor HaGlilit, northern Israel on 04 March 2026. Photograph: Ariel Schalit\/APIsraelis take shelter from airstrikes in an underground parking garage in central Tel Aviv, Israel on 04 March 2026. Photograph: Ronen Zvulun\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n The Pentagon has released a video that officials say shows the US strike on Iris Dena, an Iranian warship off the south coast of Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n More than 80 people were killed in the attack, which marks the first US attack on Iranian forces outside of the Middle East.<\/p>\n BBC Verify is reporting<\/a> that a comment made by defence secretary Pete Hegseth during today\u2019s briefing was incorrect.<\/p>\n Hegseth said that yesterday\u2019s attack on an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean marked \u201cthe first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II\u201d.<\/p>\n In 1971, a Pakistani submarine torpedoed an Indian frigate and during the Falklands War in 1982, a British submarine sunk Argentina\u2019s only cruiser, BBC Verify reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, appears to clarify Hegseth\u2019s statement later in the same briefing when he said that yesterday\u2019s attack was the first time since 1945 that an American submarine sunk an enemy combatant ship.<\/p>\n More than 80 people were killed in yesterday\u2019s strike, which took place off the coast of Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n Read more here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Israeli air force says it has dropped 5,000 bombs on Iran in current military campaign<\/p>\n The Israeli air force claimed to have dropped 5,000 bombs on Iran in its current military operation, which began on Saturday.<\/p>\n In a statement posted on X, it said: \u201cIsraeli air force fighter jets continue to deepen their air superiority throughout Iran<\/a>, with an emphasis on the Tehran area.”<\/p>\n Accompanying the message was a video, which the Israeli military said was footage of a missile strike on an Iranian air defence system in Tehran.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>At least 80 people killed after US submarine torpedoes Iran warship, officials say<\/p>\n The Sri Lankan deputy foreign minister, Arun Hemachandra, said at least 80 people were killed after a US submarine attacked an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n Foreign minister Vijitha Herath said 180 people were on board the Iris Dena, one of Iran\u2019s newest warships, when it issued a distress call at dawn about 25 miles south of the southern port of Galle. Sri Lankan authorities have launched a search and rescue mission to find other survivors.<\/p>\n The Iranian ship had taken part in a naval exercise held in the Bay of Bengal from 18 February to 25 February and was heading back to Iran from an east Indian port when it came under attack, the AP news agency reported. The \u2018Milan\u2019 naval exercise hosted by India listed an Iranian ship named \u2018Irins Dena\u2019 has having taken part in the drill, according to its website.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> We have heard from Eva Kipnis, a UK professor of marketing who is stranded in Dubai by ongoing military action.<\/p>\n Kipnis flew out to the University of Bradford\u2019s Dubai hub last Wednesday to teach professionals from across the region who are studying for an executive MBA.<\/p>\n Within 48 hours of her arrival, she found herself stranded in a high\u2011rise hotel, living through missile alerts, cancelled flights, and long nights sheltering in the hotel\u2019s underground car park.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not the most impacted part of the city,\u201d said Kipnis, who is director of the university\u2019s doctoral college. \u201cBut when they issue a Dubai\u2011wide alert, you move. You listen.\u201d<\/p>\n Eva Kipnis, a UK professor of marketing, is stranded in Dubai. Photograph: Eva Kipnis<\/p>\n When the first alarms went off, her phone lit up with a government warning and she made the now\u2011familiar descent 20 floors down concrete stairwells to the underground car park.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got a little \u2018go\u2011bag\u2019 now,\u201d she said. \u201cA mat for the stairs, some nuts and chocolate, water. You just prepare.\u201d<\/p>\n She was meant to fly home on Monday but her flight was cancelled. \u201cOf course there is anxiety,\u201d she said. \u201cI worry about my family. My parents, my husband, my children. And know they\u2019re incredibly worried about me.\u201d<\/p>\n Her family has experience of being in a war zone. \u201cMy brother and his family were in Kyiv when Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine,\u201d she explained. \u201cI helped bring them to the UK on the Ukraine family visa. It feels like we\u2019ve swapped places.\u201d<\/p>\n In Dubai, while some hotel guests chose to sunbathe by the pool, Kipnis has continued teaching, moving her lectures online. \u201cI\u2019m amazed by the resilience of our students,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThose who could join came online and stayed all day. It felt surreal to talk about brands and marketing… but at the same time it was topical. We spoke about the British brand of keep calm and carry on. It helped create a sense of normality.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson from the Bradford university said it was extending support to all affected students, including doctoral research students.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.54 EST<\/p>\n Key points from Pentagon briefing<\/p>\n US defence secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that a US submarine sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian ocean<\/a> as he declared that the Iranian navy \u201crests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf\u201d and that it was \u201cineffective, decimated, destroyed\u201d.<\/p>\n He declared that \u201cAmerica is winning\u201d and suggested that in under a week the US and Israel \u201cwill have complete control of Iranian skies, uncontested airspace\u201d.<\/p>\n The leader of the Iranian covert unit that planned to assassinate Trump in 2024 had been killed in the strikes, Hegseth said.<\/p>\n Dan Caine, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, who also spoke at the briefing, said more than 20 Iranian naval vessels have been destroyed, and that the US has \u201ceffectively neutralised Iran\u2019s major naval presence\u201d.<\/p>\n Hegseth said the US is able to continue the military action against Iran \u201cfor as long as we need to\u201d, saying Iran \u201ccan no longer shoot the volume of missiles they once did\u201d.<\/p>\n The Pentagon continued to deny responsibility for a strike on a girls\u2019 school in Iran<\/a> on Saturday that killed a reported 168 people. \u201cAll I can say is that we\u2019re investigating, and that we, of course, never target civilian targets,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Two Israeli soldiers were injured when they came under anti-tank fire in southern Lebanon, the IDF said.<\/p>\n They are believed to be the first Israeli personnel to be injured since fighting escalated between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah militants on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cEarlier today, two IDF soldiers were moderately injured as a result of an anti-tank fire toward IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon,\u201d the Israeli military said in a statement.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>China and Russia are \u2018non-factors\u2019 in Iran war, says Hegseth<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have a message for them, and they\u2019re not really a factor here, and our issue is not with them,\u201d Hegseth said of Russia and China, both of whom have longstanding diplomatic and trade ties with Iran<\/a>, while Moscow has military links to Tehran.<\/p>\n The US defence secretary said the US focus on ending what he called \u201cthe nuclear ambitions of Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n Both Russia and China have criticised the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, with Moscow saying it had seen no evidence that Tehran was developing nuclear weapons while Beijing called for an immediate halt to the attacks.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Hegseth: Iran cannot outlast us<\/p>\n Hegseth finished the briefing by declaring that \u201cwe set the tone and the tempo of this fight\u201d but would not say how much longer the conflict would continue.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only limits we have on this is President Trump\u2019s desire to achieve specific effects on behalf of the American people,\u201d he said. \u201cWe could say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three. Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWhen we say the throttle is going up, the throttle is going up and it\u2019s going to stay on high.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Hegseth says Iran can no longer shoot volume of missiles as before Hegseth noted that the US is able to continue the military action against Iran<\/a> for as long as it needs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe enemy can no longer shoot the volume of missiles they once did \u2013 not even close,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can sustain this fight easily for as long as we need to.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Rory](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rory_Carroll.png\")
Rory Carroll<\/p>\n![\"US](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1858.jpg\")
US submarine sinks Iranian warship near coast of Sri Lanka \u2013\u00a0videoShare<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Sally](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sally_Weale,_L.png\")
Sally Weale<\/p>\n![\"Shrai](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772645229_603_Shrai_Popat.png\")
Shrai Popat<\/p>\n