Iran War Timeline: White House Says U.S. Will Determine When Iran Has Surrendered
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would be the “most intense day of strikes inside Iran” so far in the U.S.’s 11-day war with the Islamic Republic of Iran. We’ve also learned that in addition to seven U.S. troops who have been killed since the war began, 140 U.S. service members have been wounded— eight severely.
BY THE NUMBERS: Hegseth said Iran fired the fewest number of missiles in the past 24 hours than at any time during the war, suggesting the campaign is weakening its capabilities.
The U.S. has struck more than 5,000 targets since the beginning of the war, resulting in 90% fewer Iranian missile strikes in the region; Iranian drone strikes are down by 80%.
The U.S. has “annihilated the Iranian navy,” destroying more than 50 naval vessels including a major drone ship, per the Trump administration.
“ENDLESS” WAR? Hegseth also pushed back on critics who say that the U.S. is in an "endless" war with no clear goals. He said the U.S. military operation against the Iranian regime has a defined scope and timeline.
“This is not endless, it’s not protracted, there’s no mission creep,” Hegseth said. “It’s actually quite contained,” he later added.
TIMELINE: W.H. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the original timeline for the war was 4-6 weeks, but the military operation is ahead of schedule. She says it’s up to the Commander-in-Chief, President Trump, to decide when the military objectives have been met and Iran is in the “place for unconditional surrender.”
When will that happen? Leavitt says President Trump will determine when Iran is in a place of unconditional surrender, when they no longer post a credible and direct threat to the United States of America and our allies.”
Trump said Monday the U.S. campaign against Iran will continue until the country can no longer develop weapons— ballistic or nuclear— capable of threatening the U.S., Israel, or American allies.
IRANIAN SOCCER PLAYERS SEEK ASYLUM IN AUSTRALIAAustralia said Tuesday it had granted asylum to five members of Iran’s national women’s soccer team after Iranian state media labeled them “wartime traitors” for refusing to sing the national anthem during a Women’s Asian Cup match.
THE PLAYERS: The Iranian team arrived in Australia last month for the cup before the Iran war began on Feb. 28. Five players — captain Zahra Ghanbari, and teammates Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramezanizadeh, and Mona Hamoudi — had remained silent during the anthem at a game on March 2nd. (The players sang the anthem for two matches that followed.)
CNN reports that another two members of the team – a player and a member of staff – are also now seeking asylum in Australia.
THE RESULTS: Australia’s home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said Tuesday that the players asked to remain in the country and were moved “to a safe location” while their humanitarian visas were finalized. The asylum offer was extended to the entire 26-member team.
The offer came after President Trump urged the Australian government on Monday to intervene, saying players would “likely be killed” if they returned.
‣ WHAT ELSE TO KNOW: IRAN WAR CHEAT SHEETThe Iran war continues to create a ripple effect throughout the global economy, sending the price of gas surging, and sparking political division in the U.S. Here’s what else you need to know:
📌 Oil prices have stabilized while the cost of gas continues to rise, as Iranian strikes have targeted oil facilities and halted tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, there are reports that Iran has started to lay mines in the Strait; President Trump has said, if true, they should be “removed, IMMEDIATELY!”
📌 Israel announced a new wave of strikes in Tehran, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying he wants to pressure the Iranian people to rise against their regime, emphasizing that a regime change ultimately “depends on them.”
Strikes on Iranian fuel depots have led to plumes of dark smoke and black rain, leading to health fears among Iranians.
Nearly 700,000 people have fled from their homes in Lebanon, the United Nations said Tuesday, as Israel strikes Hezbollah targets. Hezbollah is an Iranian proxy group based in Lebanon, which first launched rockets into Israel early into the war in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, prompting Israeli retaliation.
📌 The conflict has led to a mounting death toll in the Middle East.
In Iran, more than 1,200 people have been killed by Israeli and American strikes, according to the state-affiliated Iranian Red Crescent Society.
Retaliatory Iranian strikes in countries across the Middle East have killed at least 12 civilians across the U.A.E. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, according to a New York Times count of official sources.
More than 400 people in Lebanon and at least 13 people in Israel have been killed in the conflict, according to the Lebanese and Israeli governments respectively.