Trump dice que no declarará el fin de la guerra con Irán después de afirmar que Estados Unidos «diezmó» su ejército

Multiple Basij officials, including top figure Gholamreza Soleimani, have been targeted in strikes, according to a senior Israeli official.

“Over a dozen Basij officials were targeted in Iran last night in different strikes, including the head of the Basij forces Gholamreza Soleimani. This was a joint U.S. and Israeli effort,” the official noted. «A strike in Tehran targeted the Basij commander and around a dozen others, including the most senior figures in the Basij forces—people with a lot of blood on their hands.»

A battle damage assessment is ongoing to determine which individuals were killed or injured. 

The news comes more than two weeks since the U.S. commander in chief, President Donald Trump, launched a war against Iran in conjunction with Israel, a key U.S. ally.

Fox News’ Trey Yingst contributed to this report

Top Iranian official Ali Larijani was targeted in an Israeli strike, a Senior Israeli Official told Fox News. Battle damage assessment is ongoing.  

The news comes more than two weeks since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Larijani serves as Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. He was walking around Tehran during the pro-regime protest on Friday. The Israelis considered him the de-facto leader of Iran right now. 

The U.S. government had indicated that it would offer a reward for information on Larijani.

«Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on the key leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its component branches,» rewardsforjustice.net notes. «Under this reward offer, RFJ is seeking information on the following individuals,» the webpage notes, listing Larijani, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and others.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report

Rockets and drones were ​launched at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, ‌on Tuesday, according to a report.

The attack, which included at least five drones from areas around the city, was the most intense barrage since ​the start of the U.S.-Israel war on ​Iran, Iraqi security sources told Reuters.

A witness observed at least three drones ⁠heading in the direction of the embassy, according to the outlet.

The ​C-RAM air defense system intercepted two of the drones ​while a third struck inside the embassy compound, where fire and smoke were seen rising, the witness said.

Another witness said an ​explosion was heard in Baghdad.

This comes as Iranian-backed militias have been attacking U.S. interests in Iraq in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes that began late last month, triggering a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The U.S. average for retail diesel prices exceeded $5 a gallon for only the second time ever on Monday, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran harms the supply of the industrial fuel, according to fuel ‌markets tracker GasBuddy.

The only other time diesel ​retail prices moved past that mark was in December 2022, when global oil markets were still feeling the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of that year.

The war against Iran has disrupted global diesel supply chains, as the Middle ​East is a major supplier of both the fuel and the type of crude oil ‌most suitable ⁠for its production.

Iran’s blocking of the Strait of Hormuz impacts between 10% to 20% of total global seaborne diesel supplies.

The U.S. ​national average for ⁠gasoline prices was $3.76 a gallon as of Monday night, the highest since October 2023, according to GasBuddy data.

«Until we see a meaningful resumption of oil flows ⁠through ​the Strait of Hormuz, upward pressure on fuel ​prices is likely to persist,» Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said on Monday.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile about 23 nautical miles, or about 26 miles, east of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

«A Tanker has reported being struck by an unknown projectile whilst at anchor,» the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.

There were no injuries to crew members.

Minor structural damage was reported. No environmental impact was reported.

The incident remains under investigation.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) shared a new video on social media Monday showing flight operations aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier.

The footage includes scenes from the carrier’s flight tower, where one crew member scans the horizon through binoculars while another writes operational information on a window used as a dry-erase board.

From the flight deck, the video shows aircraft landing, launching from the catapult and taxiing across the carrier.

“Teamwork makes it ALL work aboard an aircraft carrier launching flight operations!” CENTCOM wrote on X.

Iran and its proxies carried out attacks across the Middle East on Monday, striking Israel with ballistic missiles, hitting a high-profile hotel in Baghdad with a drone and causing major flight disruptions at Dubai International Airport.

Fox News correspondent Nate Foy reported that an Iranian drone struck the Al Rashid Hotel in Baghdad’s Green Zone, a location where diplomats often stay. The drone hit the top floor of the building, sparking a fire.

Another Iranian drone caused flight disruptions at Dubai International Airport.

Iran also attacked Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates throughout the day.

Before those strikes, debris from an intercepted missile caused damage in Jerusalem just blocks from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the historic site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Monday rejected claims by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that it had destroyed several American fighter jets in the region, calling the claim false.

In a post on X, CENTCOM wrote, “Iran’s IRGC claims it recently destroyed several U.S. fighter jets based in the region using missiles and drones. LIE.”

“No U.S. fighter jets have been struck by Iran,” CENTCOM added. “In fact, U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps fighter aircraft continue to demonstrate unmatched lethality and air superiority during strike waves into Iran.”

The U.S. military is deploying additional forces to the Middle East as tensions rise around the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian drones, mines and missiles have severely restricted access to the critical shipping corridor.

Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported that roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines based in Japan are being sent aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, though it could take about 10 days for the vessel to reach the region.

Only 15 cargo vessels passed through the strait between Feb. 28 and March 12, according to Griffin, underscoring how the conflict has slowed traffic through one of the world’s most important oil transit routes.

Late Friday, with oil markets closed, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) unleashed waves of missiles and warplanes for two hours, hitting 90 military targets on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub. For now, President Trump says he’s decided to spare Iran’s oil infrastructure.

“This is a paper tiger that we’re dealing with,” he said.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

About 200 U.S. service members have been injured since the start of Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins told Fox News.

Operation Epic Fury began in the early hours of Feb. 28, when CENTCOM launched a campaign targeting military infrastructure, including missile systems, air defenses and naval assets.

Hawkins said the vast majority of the injuries have been minor and that more than 180 troops have already returned to duty.

Ten service members remain seriously wounded, according to CENTCOM.

Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this report.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushed back on a CNBC reporter’s characterization of global oil shortages Monday during an appearance on CNBC’s «Squawk Box,» arguing that some media coverage is misrepresenting the size of the supply gap created by disruptions in the Persian Gulf.

Speaking with CNBC anchor Brian Sullivan, Bessent disputed the suggestion that the release of Russian oil shipments represented only a minimal contribution to global supply.

«No, no, but that’s bad framing,» Bessent said after Sullivan described the oil as equivalent to roughly one and a half days of global supply. «Good framing is that there was about 20 million a day coming out of the Gulf.»

The exchange came as global energy markets react to escalating tensions involving Iran and disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical shipping routes for oil and natural gas.

Find out what else Bessent said regarding global oil.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s CJ Womack.

As the war with Iran dominates the region’s attention, Hamas is quietly reasserting control inside Gaza, according to videos and photos circulating on social media. An Israeli analyst and a Gazan political commentator say the developments raise fresh doubts about whether postwar plans for the enclave can move forward anytime soon.

Michael Milshtein, a senior analyst at the Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, said Hamas has used the past two and a half weeks not only to rehabilitate militarily but to project visible control in public life.

«They are really making good use of them to establish their power in the public sphere, not just for military rehabilitation,» Milshtein said, describing what he said were new recruits, police deployments and even parades in central Gaza. «Hamas is here to stay.»

He said Gazans have reported that Hamas is also rebuilding the machinery of governance. «Their police are everywhere,» he said. «They are also improving their taxation system.» During Ramadan, he added, Hamas personnel were checking markets and mosques and «starting to build education systems.»

Find out more about how Hamas is reasserting control in Gaza.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter.

The war in Iran is pushing oil and gas prices higher, and while the world economy faces a shock from energy prices, an analysis by Goldman Sachs finds that the conflict is unlikely to lead to a broader supply chain crisis like what occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economists at Goldman Sachs found that the Iran war is expected to lead to higher oil prices that will reduce global economic growth by 0.3% of GDP while increasing headline inflation by about 0.5 to 0.6 percentage points over the next year, with a smaller 0.1 to 0.2 percentage point boost to core inflation.

The report noted that risks are skewed toward larger impacts as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to shipping. The strait is a narrow choke point that shipping traffic from the Persian Gulf must pass through to access global sea lanes.

Goldman Sachs assessed that global central banks will be particularly sensitive to inflation concerns in the wake of the supply chain disruptions that occurred due to the pandemic and were a key contributor to a surge in inflation. However, the economists’ analysis sees the Iran war supply shock as being limited to energy as opposed to the broader supply chain.

Find out what Goldman Sachs is basing its prediction on.

This is an excerpt from a story by FOX Business’ Eric Revell.

President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran is “talking to our people” and wants to make a deal, after a report that a direct communications channel between the U.S. and Tehran has recently been reactivated.

Axios reported that a direct communications channel between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been revived in recent days as the conflict between the U.S. and Iran continues.

When asked about the report, a White House official pointed Fox News to Trump’s remarks earlier Monday suggesting that Iranian officials are seeking negotiations.

“They want to make a deal. They’re talking to our people,” Trump said when asked about potential negotiations with Tehran.

Trump made the remarks while responding to a question from Fox News Radio’s Jared Halpern about what a potential agreement with Iran might look like as the conflict enters its third week.

President Donald Trump said Monday the war with Iran will end soon, arguing military action was necessary to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons and warning the economic consequences would be far worse if Iran were allowed to launch nuclear strikes.

Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump about past statements that Iran’s navy had been “totally obliterated” and whether the U.S. could wrap up the war this week.

“Yeah, sure,” Trump said, before Doocy asked whether it would happen.

“Well, I don’t think so, but it’ll be soon. It won’t be long,” Trump said. “We’re going to have a much safer world. I had an obligation to do this. I didn’t want to.”

“We had the highest stock market in history. We had low gas prices. Everything was good,” he continued. “People are going to raise the price of oil. But that’s a very small thing compared to allowing them to have… you want to see a stock market go down, start letting them hit you with nukes.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Germany will not take part in military efforts to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the war in the Middle East is not a matter for NATO.

“We will not participate in ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz by military means,” he wrote in a post on X. “The war in the Middle East is not a matter for NATO. Therefore, Germany will also not become involved militarily.”

Merz’s remarks come as President Donald Trump has urged countries affected by disruptions to global oil supplies to assist in securing the strait, which separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that during one of its first strikes on Friday, it struck and dismantled the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) headquarters in Tehran.

The headquarters was inside an Iranian regime military compound and was used by senior naval commanders for years to manage operational activity while also advancing maritime terrorist operations against Israel and other Middle Eastern countries.

The IRGC’s navy is responsible for executing terrorist attacks against civilian-operated vessels, as well as arming and financing proxy terror groups by transferring weapons by sea.

The IDF’s latest strike on the headquarters only degrades the IRGC’s navy command and control capabilities even more. The strike also further impairs the force’s ability to execute terrorist activities against Israel, threaten international trade routes and limit maritime freedom of navigation.

A new terrorist group with suspected links to the Iranian regime emerged in Europe last week. Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya (The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right) has claimed responsibility for four attacks on Jewish targets across the continent.

A synagogue in Liège, Belgium, was the first target of an explosive attack on Monday. An arson attack on a Rotterdam synagogue followed overnight on Friday and an explosive device was set off at a Jewish school in Amsterdam the next evening.

Several sources have linked an additional attack at a Jewish site in Greece on Wednesday with the group, though no specifics were given about the target or method of attack.

Joe Truzman, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of the FDD’s Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital that when he saw the statement from the organization following their Monday attack, he «thought it was a little bit amateurish.» Truzman said that after videos from the group became to emerge, he «realized that there’s probably something more here to this organization.»

Find out what else Truzman said about the new terrorist group.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Beth Bailey.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that other nations should help secure the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump invited countries to assist in protecting the critical global shipping route.

Speaking with reporters on his way into the Capitol, Johnson was asked about Trump calling on other countries to help keep the strategic waterway open.

“I was just with him at the White House at an event. He said he anticipated that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed,” Johnson said. “He has made an invitation to a number of countries to assist in that endeavor because so many people’s economies and oil supplies rely upon that. And it’s a reasonable thing for others to assist us with the security provision there.

“I don’t know that he didn’t anticipate it on the front end, but now that it’s necessitated, it would be helpful,” he continued. “He said we don’t need them, but they should be a party to this…so I support that.”

Senior market analyst Phil Flynn warned that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical oil shipping lanes — could rattle global energy markets and push prices higher if the international community fails to keep the waterway open.

Flynn said during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Faulkner Focus” with host Harris Faulkner that instability around the strategic waterway could have significant market consequences.

The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, serves as a vital artery for global energy supplies, with roughly one-fifth of the world’s petroleum passing through the narrow waterway each day.

“Every country in the world’s been impacted by Iran’s misdeeds over the last 50 years, whether it’s paying more for oil, a terror premium, disruption in supply,” Flynn said.

Meanwhile, Iran has asked India to release three tankers seized earlier this year as part of talks aimed at ensuring safe passage for Indian-flagged or India-bound vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Traffic through the critical shipping corridor has slowed dramatically since the start of the conflict in Iran, with vessels backed up on both sides of the strait, according to the report.

Reuters contributed to this report.

A defiant Iranian regime is reeling from U.S. and Israeli military strikes, but one American who fled Iran as a child says some citizens are thanking the U.S. as a liberator.

Iranian American Armin Assadi said Iranians are dancing near where American bombs have landed, adding that for the first time in 47 years there is hope Iran may be free.

«You can literally see people singing and dancing in the streets, mere blocks away from where the first missile struck. That’s craziness to have [to] encontrar esperanza en ser bombardeado», dijo Assadi en «Fox & Friends Weekend».

«That’s how desperate these people are, and they’re thanking America for it,» he added.

Find out what else Armin Assadi said about Iran’s urge for the Islamic regime to fall.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Madison Colombo.

A missile launched by Iran exploded Monday over Jerusalem’s Old City, Israel said.

The projectile fell on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Armenian Patriarchate in the Jewish Quarter and on the Temple Mount near the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

«The Iranian regime is firing missiles toward Jerusalem’s holy sites, endangering Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike,» Israel’s official X account states.

«Israel, meanwhile, acts to protect worshippers of all faiths in its capital city,» it said.

The U.S. Embassy in the Netherlands is urging Americans in major European cities to exercise caution and maintain personal security amid two antisemitic attacks in that country in recent days.

«Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in the Netherlands,» the advisory states. «Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas.»

Explosive devices were set off at two Jewish institutions in the Netherlands within two days, authorities said.

The incidents came amid the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and Israel’s strikes on Lebanon, raising fears around the world of retaliatory attacks on Jews.

Qatar on Monday condemned Iran after it said the regime launched a missile that struck a civilian vehicle in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), killing one person in a “serious escalation.”

The missile strike happened in in the Al Bahia area in the UAE, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The ministry described the act “as a serious escalation and a blatant violation of the UAE’s sovereignty, as well as a direct threat to the security and stability of the region.”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s continued opening of new fronts and expanding escalation with neighboring countries is extremely dangerous,” the statement said.

Qatar called on Iran to immediately end “these irresponsible policies” that undermine security and stability in the region, and to instead prioritize “the interests of the region’s people” through “the principles of good neighborliness and international law.”

Qatar also reaffirmed its solidarity with the UAE and support for the preservation of its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

President Donald Trump on Monday said “we don’t even know their leaders” when asked about whether Iran was trying to negotiate a deal to end the war with the United States.

“I don’t know if they’re ready yet,” Trump responded to a reporter’s question at the White House. “And we don’t even know their leaders. Look, all of their leaders are dead as far as we know, but they’re all dead. We don’t know who we’re dealing with.”

Trump said the U.S. took out first layers of Iranian leadership, including the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and then the second layer after they convened to pick a new leader.

As for the third layer of Iranian leadership, Trump said, “I would think they’re a little nervous about meeting. I don’t know if they’re nervous. Maybe they’re not. Maybe they’re crazy. If they’re not nervous, then they’re crazy.”

Trump said the U.S. has met with this next group “but we don’t know who their leader is. We have people wanting to negotiate. We have no idea who they are.”

When Senior White House Correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump about Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the president said, “Nobody’s seen him, which is unusual.”

“A lot of people are saying that he’s badly disfigured,” Trump said, adding “they’re saying that he lost his leg” and had “been hurt very badly.”

“Other people are saying he’s dead,” the president continued. “Nobody’s saying he’s 100% healthy.”

More than 60,000 American citizens have left the Middle East and returned to the U.S. since Operation Epic Fury was launched against Iran on Feb. 28, the U.S. State Department told Fox News on Monday.

The State Department said it provided security guidance and travel assistance to more than 41,000 American citizens and arranged more than 50 charter flights out of the Middle East for American citizens.

“The safety of American citizens at home and abroad will always be the Trump administration’s top priority,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement to Fox News. “The State Department swiftly worked to safeguard American citizens in the Middle East and used a range of options, including charter flights, ground transportation, and coordination with commercial airlines, to ensure the safety of Americans.”

Pigott said the State Department personnel “worked around the clock” to contact every American who reached out for help and information.

Pigott added: “In the weeks leading up to the strikes, the State Department adjusted travel advisories to caution American citizens against traveling to various nations in the Middle East, urged American citizens present in these nations to depart, and quickly activated our 24/7 task force to assist Americans after the operations in Iran began.”

Fox News anchor and senior foreign policy correspondent Gillian Turner contributed to this report.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the failure of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to make any appearances in person or on video since succeeding his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is becoming an embarrassment for the regime.

Sa’ar made the remarks during an appearance on “The Faulkner Focus,” saying the whereabouts of the new leader remains “an open question.”

“You can hide but it’s better to show up,” the foreign minister said. “You can have a video and prove you’re alive. It’s starting to be embarrassing for the Iranian regime.”

The younger Khamenei was reportedly injured in the opening strikes of the war — the same salvo that killed his father.

President Donald Trump told NBC News Saturday night that he’s heard that the younger Khamenei may already be dead.

A senior Israeli official told Fox News on Sunday the new leader «is in low condition to function» and is injured.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, has claimed in interviews over the weekend that their new supreme leader was in good health.

“There is no problem with the new supreme leader,” Abbas told MS Now. “He is performing his duties according to the constitution and will continue to do that.”

A logistics manager part of the Iranian women’s soccer team who initially defected with six players and applied for asylum in Australia before changing her mind was actually planted by the regime to convince players to go back to Iran, activists claim.

Australian Councillor and Iranian Activist Tina Kordrostami said she and other activists believe the staffer was a plant, blasting the Australian government for not vetting the delegation traveling with the soccer team in a statement to Fox News National Correspondent Bryan Llenas.

«The government should have vetted the delegation, they should have informed and educated the officers and personnel, they should have stepped in sooner with intent, they should have not isolated the girls and used them as a photo opportunity,» Kordrostami said.

She told Llenas that players were surprised that the woman — reportedly known as Fleur — was seeking asylum because she has close ties with the regime, and they knew how much she cared for Iran. The woman is an employee of the Iranian Football Federation headed up by a former commander of the IRGC.

Five players initially claimed asylum before the staff member and a sixth player joined them. The the staff member and four players, including the captain, later withdrew their asylum claims are now heading back to Iran.

Just two players, Atefeh and Fatehmeh, remain in Australia. They were seen practicing with the Brisbane Roar FC Soccer team on Monday.

Not even unleashing 400 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves around the world can replace reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute said Monday.

Mike Sommers told Maria Bartiromo on FOX Business’ «Mornings with Maria» that it appears the U.S. is not only doing everything possible to get the vital waterway back open but also taking measures on a policy level.

“They’ve put another 400 million barrels of oil on the market from strategic petroleum reserves all over the world,” Sommers said. “They’re also looking at some policy measures here in the United States. But there’s no replacing getting the Strait of Hormuz back open again.”

He said 20% of the world’s oil flows through the waterway.

“We still need to get the strait open if we’re going to get flows back to where they need to be to meet the world demand for oil,” Sommers said.

A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude fell 4.1% to $94.62, easing some pressure off the economy after topping $102 earlier in the morning. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 1.4% to $101.72 per barrel after earlier getting as high as $106.50.

Oil prices were roughly $70 per barrel before the United States and Israel began their attacks on Iran.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump is “absolutely right” to press countries benefiting from the dismantling of the Iranian regime to help the U.S. secure the Strait of Hormuz, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday morning.

Leavitt told “FOX & Friends” that Trump has spoken with many countries over the last several days.

“The president is speaking with our allies in Europe and also many of our partners in the Gulf and Arab world to encourage them to step up, to do more to open the Strait of Hormuz. And our NATO allies especially need to step up,” she said.

Leavitt later told reporters outside the White House that many countries in the Gulf and in Europe were “benefiting greatly” from the “United States military taking out the threat of Iran.”

“If you think about Europe, their ballistic missile capability that the United States military is currently wiping out was a direct and imminent threat to our European allies as well as our bases in the region, which is why President Trump took this action in the first place.”

Iranian strikes on commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz have effectively stopped shipping traffic in the world’s most important oil choke point, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.

Leavitt said Iran’s actions regarding the Strait of Hormuz underscores why action is needed.

“I think the president is absolutely right to call on these countries to do more to help the United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz so that we can stop this terrorist regime from restricting the free flow of energy,” Leavitt said.

When a reporter asked Leavitt why Trump was calling on countries to send ship after telling the United Kingdom last week that the U.S. no longer needs British aircraft carriers, the press secretary said Trump addressed the matter to reporters the previous night.

“He said that he wished the U.K. had stepped up sooner and quicker,” Leavitt said. “But he continues to speak with our allies in Europe and is calling on them to do more, just as he did when he called on them to step up with respect to their defense spending in NATO. He’s calling them to do more here, and I think you’ll see that come to fruition.”

U.S. Central Command for the first time on Monday shared before-and-after photos of multiple Iranian sites U.S. forces struck to dismantle the regime’s defense industrial base.

Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of the U.S. Central Command, said in a video update on Operation Epic Fury that the photos show “what’s left of” sites that Iran used to manufacture military weapons.

Cooper showed photos of a naval drone storage facility located near the Strait of Hormuz on March 1, an attack drone production factory in Tehran on March 5 and the Yazd Military Depot last month.

After showing each photo, he then showed a photo of each location decimated following U.S. strikes.

Cooper said the eight buildings destroyed at the Yazd Military Depot were part of the IRGC’s missile command infrastructure and were used to produce light and heavy weight torpedoes.

“U.S. and partner strikes are doing exactly what they are intended to do, deliver on very clear military objectives to eliminate Iran’s ability to project power against Americans and against its neighbors,” Cooper said.

Cooper also said the U.S. is “zeroed in on dismantling” Iran’s threat to commerce in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Through a combination of air, land, and maritime capabilities, we have successfully destroyed over 100 Iranian naval vessels, and we aren’t done,” the commander said. “We will continue to rapidly deplete Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz.”

The USS Abraham Lincoln is “sailing close to Iran” to help carry out a wave of back-to-back strikes as part of Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command said Monday morning.

The fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier was continuing flight operations “day and night” as the U.S. operation continues in the Middle East, the command said.

The command also shared video of its aircraft taking off its flight deck.

The aircraft carrier left San Diego in November for the Indo-Pacific region and moved to the Middle East in January.

Israeli troops have entered southern Lebanon to begin “limited and targeted” ground operations against Hezbollah, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday.

The operation targets key Hezbollah strongholds to enhance the forward defense area, the IDF said.

“This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, to create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel,” the IDF said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday said that the maneuver will “protect the residents of the Galilee and the North.”

“The hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of southern Lebanon who have evacuated and are evacuating their homes from southern Lebanon and Beirut will not return to their homes south of the Litani region until the safety of the northern residents is guaranteed,” Katz said.

Katz also said that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have instructed the IDF to “act and destroy the terror infrastructure” in villages near the Lebanese border. He said this was done “to prevent threats and the return of Hezbollah to the area, exactly as was done against Hamas in Gaza in the Rafah and Beit Hanoun areas.”

“Hezbollah will pay heavy prices for its aggression and its activity within the Iranian axis to destroy Israel,” Katz said. “Those who sought to destroy have been destroyed and will be destroyed.”

Israel’s military on Monday announced its forces destroyed the aircraft used by Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Israeli Air Force “conducted a precise strike and dismantled” the aircraft overnight Monday at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

The aircraft was used by the former supreme leader, senior officials and military personnel “to advance military procurement and to manage coordination with axis countries through both domestic and international flights,” the IDF said.

The IDF said the destruction of the “strategic asset” will disrupt the regime’s coordination with its allies, its military force build-up efforts and its ability to restore its capabilities.

Khamenei was killed in the war’s opening salvo two weeks ago. He was succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was also reportedly injured in those opening strikes.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran’s military has been “decimated,” claiming the U.S. has wiped out the country’s air defenses and severely weakened its forces.

Asked whether he was ready to officially declare victory against Iran, Trump said he was not declaring it over yet but argued the damage to Tehran’s military has been significant.“There’s no reason to,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

“I think I’d just say they’re decimated. … If we left right now, it would take them ten years and more to rebuild. But I’m still not declaring it over.”

Trump said U.S. operations have “taken out” Iran’s air force and air defense systems, leaving the country with “no air defense whatsoever,” and argued Iran’s missile and drone capabilities have also been sharply reduced.

Trump added that the U.S. and Israel have “similar objectives” regarding Iran and that the two countries’ militaries are “very well coordinated.”