- US military sank nine Iranian naval vessels and damaged navy headquarters, Donald Trump said
- At least 48 Iranian leaders were killed in US-Israeli bombardments, Trump said
- US announced first casualties: three killed, five seriously wounded in the conflict
The US military has sunk nine Iranian naval vessels and partially destroyed Iran's navy headquarters, President Donald Trump said today.
"I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian naval ships, some of them relatively large and important," Trump said on his Truth Social network.
"We are going after the rest - they will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also! In a different attack, we largely destroyed their Naval Headquarters. Other than that, their Navy is doing very well!"
Apart from military hardware losses, Trump said at least 48 Iranian leaders have been killed in the US-Israeli bombardments of the country and that the offensive is "very positive."
"Nobody can believe the success we're having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot. And it's moving along rapidly," Trump was quoted as saying in an interview by Fox News.
He claimed overall success in the war, which was launched on Saturday with the goal of removing the Islamic republic's leadership and destroying its military.
Iran has confirmed the death of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"We're doing our job not just for us but for the world. And everything is ahead of schedule," Trump was quoted as saying in a separate interview with CNBC. "Things are evolving in a very positive way right now, a very positive way," he said.
The interviews were conducted before the US military for the first time announced casualties in the war: three unidentified service members killed, five seriously wounded and several others more lightly injured.
Central Command (CENTCOM) also announced that the US had sunk an Iranian warship at a dock in the Gulf of Oman.
Strait of Hormuz
Three ships were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz today, maritime security agencies said, as Iran pressed a second day of strikes. One ship, off the coast of Oman, was "struck by an unknown projectile above the waterline. Although the engine room was originally reported as on fire it has now been reported that the fire is under control," the British maritime security agency UKMTO said in a statement.
In a separate incident, another vessel was "struck by an unknown projectile causing a fire. The fire has been extinguished and the vessel intends to continue on its voyage," UKMTO said.
The private maritime security company Vanguard Tech indicated that the second vessel, a tanker, was located approximately 17 nautical miles northwest of Mina Saqr in the United Arab Emirates.
UKMTO later reported another projectile "exploded in very close proximity to a vessel" 35 nautical miles west of the Emirati city of Sharjah. It said all crew were "safe and well".
On Sunday, Iranian state television said an oil tanker was "sinking" after being struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's continued and unprecedented Gulf bombardment has raised fears of a wider conflict and rattled a region long seen as a haven of peace and security in the turbulent Middle East.
Tehran also appeared to target on Sunday a building complex in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi housing several foreign missions, including the Israeli embassy.
With inputs from AFP
