Politics USA sees decisive days in Iran war
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sees the coming days in the war with Iran as crucial. "In just one month we have set the terms - the coming days will be decisive," he said at a press conference in Washington.
31.03.2026, 16:16
SDA
Hegseth emphasized that he would prefer to end the war with an agreement. "In the meantime, we will negotiate with bombs." He said the new Iranian leadership should behave more wisely than the old one and agree to an agreement. US President Donald Trump is prepared to do so, he said. "If Iran is not ready, the US War Department will continue with even greater intensity."
Hegseth sees Iran at the end of the line militarily despite ongoing attacks
Although Israel, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, among others, also reported Iranian attacks on Tuesday, in which there were casualties and damage, Hegseth reiterated the narrative that Iran is militarily finished. "Yes, they still fire a few missiles. But we intercept them." Never before in the war had the number of drones and missiles fired by Iran been as low as in the past 24 hours.
Previously, the USA had attacked Iranian military facilities with bunker-busting bombs. According to media reports, large ammunition depots in the Isfahan area were the target. Iran confirmed the attacks. "There is currently no information on the extent of the damage or the number of dead and injured in these attacks," the Iranian news agency Isna quoted the deputy governor of the province, Akbar Salehi, as saying.
Heavy explosions in the Isfahan area
The Isfahan nuclear facility is also located in the target region. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assumes that the Islamic Republic has stored at least some of its highly enriched uranium underground in Isfahan.
Footage on social media showed heavy explosions during the night. Images after the bombings showed a glowing orange night sky, among other things. "Six bunker-busting bombs hit Mount Sofeh, many secondary explosions, several per second, the sky is brightly lit," the net activist Vahid quoted a message.
In an interview with the right-wing US news portal "Newsmax", Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that the destruction of Tehran's uranium reserves is currently the central goal of the attacks. Commenting on the progress of the war, he said: "We are more than halfway to the success of our mission."
New attacks on Israel
Following a new Iranian missile attack on Israel, there have been several strikes in the greater Tel Aviv area, according to police reports. According to the Magen David Adom rescue service, six people were injured.
Individual ships pass through Strait of Hormuz
One month after the start of the US-Israeli attacks, Iran is continuing its bombardment of neighboring Gulf states with ballistic missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates reported renewed attacks.
In the Persian Gulf, a huge Kuwaiti oil tanker was also hit off the coast of Dubai, according to the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, as reported by the state news agency Kuna. A fire broke out which, according to the authorities in Dubai, took several hours to extinguish. There were no injuries.
It is still uncertain whether and when it will be possible to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for the global trade in goods and oil and gas. According to information from Beijing, at least three Chinese ships have recently managed to pass through the strait. The ships had passed the route after coordination with all sides, said Foreign Office spokeswoman Mao Ning in Beijing.
Fighting continues in southern Lebanon
Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it had killed "dozens of terrorists" within 24 hours during its operation in southern Lebanon. These were identified during attempts to attack soldiers from hiding places.
After the war with Iran began a month ago, the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, which is allied with Tehran, also resumed its attacks on Israel. Israel responded with heavy air strikes and ground operations in the northern neighboring country. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz recently said that Israel wanted to control the area up to the Litani River in southern Lebanon until further notice.
Most recently, an Israeli military spokesman put the number of Hezbollah fighters killed within a month at more than 850. The figures cannot be independently verified and Hezbollah does not comment on its own losses. According to official figures, ten Israeli soldiers have been killed so far.
