Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said more than 15,000 targets have been hit since Feb. 28 and signaled the highest daily strike tempo yet, claiming Iranian missiles are down 90% and drones down 95%.
- Iran’s Mojtaba Khamenei issued a written vow to keep pressure on the Strait of Hormuz, while Hegseth asserted the new supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured and has not appeared publicly.
- Tanker traffic through the Strait has been largely halted, oil hovered near $100 a barrel, and the International Energy Agency released 400 million barrels from emergency reserves to steady markets.
- U.S. Central Command confirmed all six airmen aboard a KC-135 that went down in western Iraq are deceased and said the loss was not caused by hostile or friendly fire.
- The Pentagon said an officer has been appointed to lead the investigation into the high-casualty strike on an Iranian elementary school, with the probe ongoing.