Washington, April 16 (IANS) The United States on Thursday warned Iran to “choose wisely” as it enforced a sweeping naval blockade, with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth saying American forces remain “locked and loaded” to escalate military action if needed. Addressing a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth was joined by Air Force General Dan Caine, the US military’s top uniformed officer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Admiral Bradley Cooper, who oversees American military operations…
Latest CENTCOM News & Updates
New Delhi, April 13 (IANS) Emphasising that “international law and multilateralism” has deteriorated, Palestinian Ambassador to India, Abdullah Abu Shawesh on Monday criticised US President Donald Trump for labelling Pope Leo XIV as “weak”. In an interview with IANS, Shawesh also slammed Trump for his decision to block the Strait of Hormuz and stressed that it would not only affect Iran but the entire international community.On Sunday, Trump launched a sharp attack on Pope Leo XIV in a lengthy s…
New York, March 29 (IANS) The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, as thousands of US soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East for what could become a dangerous new phase of the war should US President Donald Trump choose to escalate, The Washington Post reported.Any potential ground operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion and could instead involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops, the newspaper quoted off…
Tehran, March 29 (IANS) Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed its air defence has struck a US F-16 Fighting Falcon and an MQ-9 Reaper drone in the country’s southern airspace.Making the announcement in a statement on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said the US fighter jet and drone were hit during joint retaliatory missile and drone operations by its Navy and Aerospace Division against heavy industries belonging to the United States and Israel, Xinhua news agency rep…
Washington, March 7 (IANS) The United States unveiled a $20 billion maritime reinsurance plan aimed at protecting shipping and stabilising trade through the Gulf region amid tensions linked to the conflict with Iran.The initiative was announced by the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the US Department of the Treasury following President Donald Trump’s approval of a detailed implementation strategy.DFC Chief Executive Officer Ben Black and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen…
Washington, March 6 (IANS) The United States signalled that its military campaign against Iran will expand in the coming phase of Operation Epic Fury, with American and Israeli forces preparing to intensify strikes aimed at dismantling Tehran’s military and missile infrastructure.Speaking at US Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation had already inflicted significant damage on Iran’s military capabilities.He praised CENTCOM commander Admiral B…
Washington, March 3, (IANS) The United States has struck “over 1,700” targets across Iran in the first 72 hours of Operation Epic Fury, unleashing bombers, fighter jets and missile systems in one of the largest direct military actions in recent years, as the White House declared “America will win” and that “the terrorist Iranian regime will be defeated.” The operation began at “1:15 am, February 28, 2026,” according to a Pentagon fact sheet titled Operation Epic Fury — First…
Washington, March 2 (IANS) U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday said Operation Epic Fury will not be a short campaign, ruled out American ground troops for now, and reiterated that Iran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, outlining what he described as a limited but decisive military objective. Responding to a question at a Pentagon news conference about American forces on the ground, Hegseth said: “No, but we’re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will …
Washington, March 2 (IANS) US President Donald Trump called the sweeping American military assault on Iran “one of the largest, most complex, most overwhelming military offensives the world has ever seen,” declaring that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead and vowing that combat operations will continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.”In an address to the nation posted on Truth Social, outlining what he said was a 36-hour campaign, Trump described “Operation Epic Fury” as unpre…
Tehran, March 1 (IANS) The death toll from a joint US-Israeli strike on a girls’ elementary school in Iran’s southern province of Hormozgan rose to 148, local media reported on Sunday.The attack also left 95 people wounded, local prosecutor Ebrahim Taheri was quoted as saying by semi-official Tasnim news agency.He said the majority of the victims of the brutal attack were pupils, with teachers, school staff and students’ parents also among the dead, reports Xinhua, quoting the Tasnim news agency…