In an official statement, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that a US submarine sank an Iranian warship. The incident happened off the coast of Sri Lanka. According to US information, the Iranian ship, the IRIS Alborz, carried out aggressive maneuvers and threatened US units in the area. The US Department of Defense stressed that using a torpedo was necessary to defend their own forces. The Iranian government has not yet reacted in detail to the incident, but this further increases tensions between Washington and Tehran.
At the same time, US foreign policy came into focus through diplomatic visits. US President Donald Trump hosted the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office. Reports suggest the private talk lasted about 30 minutes, while Merz gave a statement to the press for about three minutes beforehand. A video released by Trump gave a behind-the-scenes look at the visit, where topics like transatlantic security and trade relations were the focus. The meeting is seen as a signal for the continuation of German-American cooperation under the current political framework.
