US-Iran War: The Latest Developments

Here are the latest developments from the United States and Israel's war against Iran, detailing some major events that have occurred over the last few days.

A US attack submarine sunk a prominent Iranian warship, marking the first time such a strike has taken place since World War II.

Several days ago, the Sri Lankan navy reported that an Iranian warship had been sunk near their territory. The US later confirmed that a member of their submarine fleet had hit the warship – named the IRIS Dena – with a Mark 48 heavyweight torpedo, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claiming that the ship was Iran's "prize ship."

US Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of the US Central Command, later asserted that the IRIS Dena joins a list of 16 other Iranian warships that the US has struck during this war. Meanwhile, Israel appears to have shifted their focus to taking down Hezbollah, launching dozens of strikes on the Lebanese capital of Beirut in recent days.

At least 87 bodies were recovered by Sri Lankan authorities, who discovered the remains of the boat in international waters after receiving a mayday call early in the morning. The crews also managed to rescue an additional 32 people, but an undetermined number of Iranians are still missing as Sri Lanka continues their search.

Hegseth confirmed that they had struck the ship while they "thought it was safe," completing an attack that marks the United States' first time sinking a combat ship with a submarine-launched torpedo since World War II in 1945. Video posted by the Department of Defense on X shows the exact moment the ship was struck, alongside a short clip of his comments.

An Iranian strike directed towards Turkey was intercepted by NATO defense forces, threatening to drag Europe into the conflict.

Turkey confirmed that the strike, which was directed towards the Incirlik Air Base, had been launched over Iraq and Syria, suggesting that the missile had come from Iran. The strike was intercepted by NATO forces in the Mediterranean Sea, but it came as a shock to a nation that has been relatively friendly to Iran throughout the conflict.

Following the death of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave the regime his condolences, and the nation refused to allow US forces to launch strikes at Iran from their soil. Due to this, Turkey appeared to be one of the last countries that Iran would ever strike.

However, that perception changed drastically when the strike was intercepted, threatening to bring NATO into the conflict by triggering the organization's Article 5 clause. Nevertheless, NATO confirmed that they would not enter the war, quelling fears.

Additionally, Iran sparked further confusion when they denied the claims that they launched the missiles, alleging that they "respect the sovereignty of the neighboring and friendly country" that is Turkey.

Azerbaijan is demanding answers from Iran and threatening retaliation after the nation was hit by two Iranian drone attacks.

Iran failed to confirm the attacks, but videos taken by Azerbaijani civilians depicted two separate drone attacks on an airport and a school. A terminal at Nakhchivan International Airport was hit, damaging infrastructure and injuring at least two citizens.

However, the attack was not completely unprecedented. Azerbaijan and Iran have maintained hostile relations for quite some time, and Iran has already expressed concerns that Israel could utilize Azerbaijani territory to launch strikes into Iran from a closer range.

While Azerbaijan initially attempted to settle those concerns, these latest drone attacks risk dragging the nation into the ongoing conflict– Azerbaijani officials labeled the strikes as a "terror act" and are already demanding answers.

Qatari fighter pilots managed to bring down two Iranian bombers approaching the Al Udeid Air Base, preventing a possible strike just minutes before it happened.

Al Udeid Air Base serves as a major hub for US military operations in the Middle East, hosting over 10,000 troops and the forward headquarters for the US Central Command. Due to this, it remains a primary target for Iranian attacks, having already suffered from strikes– while most missiles headed for the base have been intercepted, one ballistic missile slipped through Qatari defenses yesterday, damaging almost $1.1 billion in American radio equipment.

In the latest attack, Qatar confirmed that two Iranian Sukhoi Su-24 bombers had been approaching for a strike on the base before they were given a single radio warning by the local command center. When the jets dropped to 80 feet above the ground to avoid being tracked down by radar, they were engaged into combat by one of the nation's own fighter jets.

The Qatari pilots, sitting in an American-made F-15, chased down the Iranian bombers and struck them, sending the fighter jets into Qatari waters– though not much more detail was provided by authorities.

The event marks the first time in this conflict that Iran has attacked another nation with manned aircraft – all other attacks have used airstrikes and drones – hinting that they may be running low on missiles or getting more desperate as the conflict continues.

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): The state of New Jersey had five different governors in the span of just eight days in early 2002. The shortest term of those was served by John Farmer Jr., who took office for a mere 90 minutes.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Lost wealth may be replaced by industry, lost knowledge by study, lost health by temperance or medicine, but lost time is gone forever. (Samuel Smiles)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Deem (verb, DEEM) - Deem is a somewhat formal word used when someone comes to think something or to have something as an opinion after some consideration.

In a Sentence: The covered bridge was closed to automobile traffic for the winter because town officials deemed it a hazard to motorists.

Image credit to AP