US says Iran firing fewer missiles, US strikes to expand inland

By Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Doina Chiacu and Susan Heavey

March 4, 20265:54 AM GMT-8, Updated 3 hours ago

Item 1 of 2 Smoke rises following a strike, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 4, 2026. Majid Asgaripour / WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) – Iran is firing fewer missiles than it did at ‌the start of the war on Saturday, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday, as he argued Iran’s ​military capabilities were greatly diminished as the ​United States expands its strikes inside Iran.

“We will ⁠now begin to expand inland striking progressively ​deeper into Iranian territory, and creating additional freedom ​of maneuver for US forces,” General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a news briefing at ​the Pentagon.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said ​the United States was winning in its war against Iran, ‌even ⁠as he lamented six U.S. troops killed so far in the conflict. He added the United States would outlast Iran.

Hegseth confirmed that the U.S. military ​sank an ​Iranian warship ⁠off the coast of Sri Lanka, calling it the first sinking of ​an enemy ship by torpedo since World ​War ⁠Two.

The U.S. sinking was first reported by Reuters.

“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was ⁠safe ​in international waters. Instead, it ​was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death,” Hegseth said.

Reporting by ​Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Donia Chiacu and Michelle Nichols

Source: US says Iran firing fewer missiles, US strikes to expand inland | Reuters