WASHINGTON – Military leaders at the Pentagon reported Wednesday that Iran has significantly reduced its missile activity compared to when hostilities began this past Saturday, with officials citing weakened Iranian military capacity as U.S. operations prepare to move deeper into the country.
General Dan Caine, who serves as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced during a Pentagon briefing that American forces will “now begin to expand inland striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory, and creating additional freedom of maneuver for US forces.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed confidence that America is prevailing in the current conflict with Iran, though he acknowledged the loss of six American service members in the fighting. Hegseth emphasized that the United States has the endurance to outlast Iranian forces.
In a significant naval development, Hegseth verified that U.S. forces destroyed an Iranian warship near Sri Lanka’s coastline, marking the first time since World War Two that an American submarine has used a torpedo to sink an enemy vessel.
“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death,” Hegseth stated during the briefing.
The naval engagement was initially disclosed through Reuters reporting before receiving official confirmation from the Pentagon.
