Washington DC: Hostilities between Iran and US-Israel continued on the second day, with claims and counter-claims flying thick and fast.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed that 48 Iranian leaders were eliminated in the ongoing operation against the Islamic Republic, describing it as highly successful and progressing faster than expected.
“Nobody can believe the success we are having. 48 leaders are gone in one shot. And it is moving along rapidly,” Trump told Fox News.
In an interaction with CNBC, the US President said that America’s military offensive in Iran was “ahead of schedule” and “moving along very well.”
Trump further claimed that Iran’s ‘new leadership’ has sought talks with Washington after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was eliminated.
“New Iranian leaders want to talk and I have agreed to talk,” Reuters quoted Trump as saying in a
n interview with The Atlantic.
Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that three American service members have been killed in the latest operations against Iran, while five others were seriously injured.
“As of 9.30 am ET, March 1, three US service members have been killed in action and five are seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury. Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions — and are in the process of being returned to duty. Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing,” the command said in a post on X.
Iran’s claim dismissed
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, on the other hand, said they attacked major aircraft carrier ‘USS Abraham Lincoln’ in the Gulf as part of retaliatory strikes.
The Guards said in a statement to local media that four ballistic missiles struck the aircraft carrier, adding “the land and sea will increasingly become the graveyard of the terrorist aggressors.”
CENTCOM dismissed Tehran’s claims as a lie. “The missiles launched didn’t even come close,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
“The Lincoln continues to launch aircraft in support of CENTCOM’s relentless campaign to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime,” it said.