U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that an American submarine sank an Iranian warship near the coast of Sri Lanka, while military officials stated that Iran has significantly reduced its missile launches toward targets in the Gulf region due to the severe degradation of its warfighting capabilities.
Speaking at a press conference on March 4, Hegseth described the strike as a “silent death.” At least 87 sailors were reportedly killed in the attack, with dozens more injured or missing. Sri Lankan authorities said that 32 Iranian sailors were rescued.
“A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship that believed it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was struck and sunk by a torpedo,” Hegseth said.
He added that the United States has sufficient resources to continue its campaign — which began on February 28 alongside Israeli strikes — for as long as necessary, stating that Washington will take “whatever time is required” to secure victory.
In response, Iran has launched waves of missile and drone attacks against Gulf states, heightening fears that the conflict could spread across the region.
Underscoring those concerns, a ballistic missile launched by Iran headed toward Turkish airspace before being intercepted by NATO air defense systems. NATO condemned the incident, saying it “stands firmly with all Allies.”
At the same press conference, General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that Iran is firing approximately 86 percent fewer ballistic missiles compared to February 28, the first day of the conflict. Drone launches have reportedly declined by nearly the same margin.
“We have sufficient precision munitions for the task ahead, both offensively and defensively,” Caine said.
Hegseth echoed those remarks, adding that coalition forces expect to gain full control of Iranian airspace within about a week, which would enable an expansion of bombing operations across the country.
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas questioned Iran’s ability to sustain the pace of attacks, citing the significant weakening of its military following last year’s 12-day war with Israel and the current U.S.-Israeli campaign.
In an interview with Radio Free Europe in Warsaw on March 4, Kallas stated: “Iran’s capabilities are not limitless, especially if its major allies are not supporting it.”
“Even the Americans have said their targets are missile launchers and missile factories. Therefore, Iran’s capacity to inflict damage is perhaps more limited than it wants to project. This is always also a battle of narratives,” she added.
