WASHINGTON, United States — The United States Navy sank an Iranian warship in international waters with a torpedo fired from an American submarine, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, as hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran continued to escalate across the Middle East.
“We are just accelerating, not decelerating,” Mr. Hegseth said during remarks at the Pentagon.
The announcement came as Iran intensified retaliatory strikes across the region, launching attacks targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Israel, raising fears that the confrontation could expand into a broader regional war.
Rising Casualties After Weekend Assault
The latest developments follow a joint United States and Israeli assault on Tehran over the weekend that has sharply increased tensions between Washington and Tehran.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Iran since the operation, including the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to reports cited by American officials. At least 11 people have been killed in Israel.
The United States has also reported military casualties linked to Iran’s response. Six American service members have died in retaliatory strikes, according to United States Central Command.
The Pentagon on Tuesday released the names of four of those personnel, who were killed in a drone strike while stationed in Kuwait, the Department of Defense said.
Trump Defends Military Action
President Donald Trump defended his decision to order the strikes on Iran without seeking prior approval from Congress, saying Iran’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons capabilities and its expanding ballistic missile programme posed “an intolerable threat.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was preparing to intensify military operations.
The United States will “unleash” additional attacks in the coming days that will represent a significant escalation in both the scale and intensity of the campaign against Iran, Mr. Rubio said.
American officials have not ruled out the possibility of deploying ground forces inside Iran as the conflict unfolds.
Operation Epic Fury
Trump said the current military campaign, which the administration has named “Operation Epic Fury,” is expected to last between four and five weeks. He added that the United States has the capability to sustain military operations for a longer period if necessary.
Writing on Truth Social on Monday night, the president said wars “can be fought ‘forever.’”
