US sank Iranian ship with torpedo for first time since WWII - Pentagon chief gives update on operation against Iran

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced today that an American submarine sank an Iranian warship in international waters, and together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, provided an update on the situation after the start of the operation against Iran, UNN reports with reference to CNN.

Details

According to Hegseth, this was the first sinking of an enemy vessel by a torpedo since World War II.

"An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters," Hegseth said during a press conference at the Pentagon. "Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo."

"The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II," Hegseth added.

As Reuters notes, Sri Lanka's Deputy Foreign Minister reported that at least 80 people died as a result of the American submarine's strike on the Iranian warship. He reported that the vessel was in the Indian Ocean, heading back to Iran from an eastern Indian port.

Hegseth also said that the US military sank Iran's "prize ship" the "Soleimani," named after former Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by US forces during Donald Trump's first term as president.

"I guess the US president got him twice," Hegseth said, referring to Soleimani.

Hegseth also emphasized during the press conference that four days after the start of the US operation against Iran, the operation is still in its "initial" stage, and outlined plans to accelerate military efforts.

"As President Trump said, bigger waves are coming," Hegseth said. "We're just getting started. We're accelerating, not slowing down."

The Pentagon chief said the next phase of military action aims for US and Israeli air forces to take "full control of Iranian skies," and this is expected to be completed "in less than a week."

He added that the air forces would "find, fix, and finish with the missiles and defense industrial base of the Iranian military," as well as Iranian military leaders.

"This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it's not a fair fight," Hegseth said. "We're hitting them while they're down, and that's how it should be."

As AP notes, Hegseth also said that the war with Iran could last 8 weeks — longer than previously anticipated.

"You can say four weeks, but it could be six, eight, three," he said. "Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo."

Hegseth noted that the US will win its military operation against Iran "decisively, devastatingly, and mercilessly." He indicated that additional forces, including fighter jets and bombers, would soon arrive in the region. He added that the US would "take all the time necessary to ensure success."

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kane stated at the same press conference that after establishing air superiority in Iran, the US would "now begin to expand deeper into the country."

Kane added that US forces would strike "progressively deeper into Iranian territory and (create) additional freedom of maneuver for US forces."

Kane indicated that the number of Iranian missile launches has sharply decreased since the start of US-Israeli strikes on the country, describing what he called "steady progress" by US forces in the region.

"As of this morning, US Central Command is making steady progress. The number of ballistic missiles launched by Iran into the theater of operations has decreased by 86% compared to the first day of hostilities," Kane said. He added that the decline has accelerated in recent hours.

"There has been a 23% decrease in just the last 24 hours, and the number of drone strikes has decreased by 73%," Kane added.

He said that the decrease in missile and drone activity has allowed US forces to expand their operational advantage.

"This progress has allowed Central Command to establish localized air superiority on the southern flank of the Iranian coast and to penetrate their defenses with overwhelming precision and firepower," he noted.

These statistics came a day after US President Donald Trump stated that Iran's air and naval forces had been "knocked out."

At the same time, as AP notes, Hegseth admitted that the US cannot repel all Iranian drone attacks.

"We have advanced every possible counter-UAV system, sparing no expense or capability," Hegseth said, referring to drones. "As I said, that doesn't mean we stop everything."

At the same time, Hegseth and Kane stated that US weapon stockpiles remain significant. According to them, the US armed forces have enough ammunition for current operations against Iran.

Hegseth added that the military used more advanced weapons at the beginning of the campaign, but are transitioning to gravity bombs now that the US controls Iranian skies, and stockpiles of these advanced weapons remain "extremely significant."

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