The US Secretary of Defense announced that an individual linked to Iran who attempted to harm former President Donald Trump has been eliminated. During a briefing at the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth accused Iran’s leadership of plotting against the US president, revealing that the perpetrator was eliminated in the most recent assault on Iran.
Hegseth stated that the person responsible for the attempted assassination of President Trump has been located and neutralized. He emphasized that Iran’s aim was to target the US president but highlighted that Trump emerged victorious from the situation. The operation to eliminate the attacker was carried out the previous day, although the specific identity of the individual was not disclosed.
In 2024, the US Department of Justice charged an Iranian individual in relation to a purported scheme orchestrated by the IRGC to assassinate Trump while he was a presidential candidate.
Additionally, Hegseth confirmed during the Pentagon briefing that an Iranian warship was sunk by a torpedo from a US submarine. Reports from Sri Lanka indicated that 80 individuals lost their lives, with 32 individuals rescued from the distressed Iranian Navy vessel off the coast.
The US military had previously reported the destruction of 17 Iranian vessels, expressing their objective of subduing the entire Iranian navy. Hegseth mentioned that the recent strike on the warship marked the first such attack on an adversary since World War II, declaring that the Iranian navy now lies at the bottom of the Persian Gulf.
In another incident, six American soldiers were casualties of an Iranian drone strike at an operations center within a civilian port in Kuwait. The US defense chief acknowledged the potential for further American losses and emphasized the continuous deployment of counter-UAS systems to mitigate such risks.
Meanwhile, Keir Starmer, in a statement to the Commons, acknowledged the US utilizing UK bases and British jets engaging in defensive actions in the Middle East as a demonstration of the “special relationship.” However, he cautioned against blindly adhering to President Trump’s directives, emphasizing the need for a clear legal foundation for military actions.
The Prime Minister echoed the sentiment, highlighting the collaborative efforts between the US and UK in operations from British bases and intelligence-sharing for mutual security. The UK’s decision not to participate in certain actions without legal justification was reaffirmed in response to Trump’s criticism for not joining US-Israeli operations without clear legal grounds.
