Iran tried to kill President Trump as U.S. vows to deliver ‘death and destruction from the sky’

The United States has claimed that Iran attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump, with Washington saying the leader of the Iranian unit allegedly responsible for the plot has been “hunted down and killed.”

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth made the claim on Wednesday, stating that American forces had eliminated the commander believed to have overseen the attempted assassination.

“Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh,” Hegseth said.

According to him, the killing of the Iranian commander formed part of a broader US military campaign targeting Tehran’s military assets.

Hegseth said the ongoing operations against Iran were intentionally designed to be overwhelmingly one-sided.

“This was never meant to be a fair fight,” he said, adding that US and Israeli aircraft would continue to operate over Iran “day and night.”

He further stated that the air campaign would deliver “death and destruction from the sky all day long.”

“It is not a fair fight. We are punching them while they’re down, which is exactly how it should be,” he added.

The claim comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, with multiple incidents reported across the region.

In the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route, a Malta-flagged cargo ship, Safeen Prestige, was struck by a projectile and caught fire.

British maritime security firm Vanguard reported that the vessel sustained damage after being hit just above the waterline.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre confirmed the incident, saying the projectile triggered a blaze in the ship’s engine room.

The attack occurred shortly after Tehran claimed it had taken control of the strategic shipping corridor, a move that analysts warn could disrupt global trade if tensions escalate further.

Meanwhile, Greece scrambled fighter jets on Wednesday after an unidentified object was detected near Cypriot airspace.

Cyprus authorities confirmed that two Greek F-16 aircraft intercepted the object close to Lebanese airspace.

The incident follows a drone strike earlier this week in which an Iranian drone reportedly hit the runway at the British Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus, forcing an evacuation and raising concerns about the security of Western military installations in the region.

The United States has also acknowledged carrying out a strike on an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka.

Hegseth said the attack sank the vessel, leaving at least 80 people dead and dozens missing.

He described the operation as “the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two.”

Iran has also issued warnings to Gulf states, threatening to target major economic hubs across the Middle East if its key facilities are attacked.

“We are saying to the enemy that if it decides to hit our main centres, we will hit all economic centres in the region,” Iranian officials said in a statement.

The rapidly escalating confrontation has triggered panic among foreign nationals in the region, with British citizens scrambling to board emergency evacuation flights from the Middle East.

Reports also suggest that several Gulf nations facing sustained drone threats could run out of anti-drone missile supplies within days if attacks continue.

The developments underscore growing fears that the confrontation between the United States and Iran could expand into a wider regional conflict with significant implications for global security and trade.