U.S. says it will strike deeper into Iran, saying war has 'only just begun'

Geoff Bennett:

Welcome to the "News Hour."

The U.S. defense secretary said today that the war with Iran has only just begun, and the war expanded once again. Iran for the first time fired a drone into NATO territory, and the U.S. used a torpedo fired by a submarine to sink a warship for the first time since World War II.

The U.S. says it has struck more than 2,000 targets. Iran's Health Ministry says more than 920 people there have been killed.

Our Nick Schifrin starts our coverage.

Nick Schifrin:

Today, Tehran woke to terrifying booms that engulfed the night sky and flames, by day, the capital's Revolutionary Square battered, many buildings broken, and structures shattered as rescue workers prayed for the dead.

Monireh Tehrani cannot believe what she's seen.

Monireh Tehrani, Tehran Resident (through interpreter):

I hope this ends sooner, and so many people won't be killed anymore.

Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary:

We are punching them while they're down, which is exactly how it should be.

Nick Schifrin:

In Washington, Pentagon leaders said U.S. strikes had so far focused on Iran's ballistic missile infrastructure and drones in Iran's west and northwest. And U.S. strikes will soon spread deeper into Iran now that the U.S. has more control over Iran's skies.

Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff: We will now begin to expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory.

Nick Schifrin:

And the U.S. expanded the war zone today with an event not seen in more than 80 years. A submarine's torpedo sunk the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka. The ship was returning home from an exercise hosted by India. Sri Lankan authorities rescued 32 sailors and recovered nearly 100 bodies, with dozens still missing.

In total, the U.S. says it has sunk 20 Iranian ships. And, today, Israel said it continues to attack Iran's military, including internal security services and leadership. In Southern Iran, the war has trapped civilians. At this hospital, the Iranian Red Crescent showed a neonatal ward whose ceiling was damaged. Medical staff evacuated premature babies.

Outside Tehran University, Iranians remembered assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the bloodstained belongings of more than 100 killed schoolgirls, an attack that the U.S. says it is still investigating.

Mohammadreza Jama'ati, Tehran Resident (through interpreter):

The system does not depend on one person. If one leader is absent, there will be thousands of others.

Nick Schifrin:

And Iran's resistance has included firing more than 2,500 missiles and drones, although the U.S. today said these missile launches have recently reduced by 23 percent.

Today, for the first time, one targeted NATO. Turkey said air defense shot down an Iranian missile in the country's south. Many of Iran's targets are Arab Gulf energy facilities, including this Emirati oil industry zone, today covered in flames and thick smoke.

Iran's president wrote directly to Arab governments today, saying -- quote -- "The American Zionist military attack has left us no choice but to defend ourselves. We respect your sovereignty and still believe that the region's peace must be ensured by the countries of the region."

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA):

We're not at war right now.

Nick Schifrin:

On Capitol Hill, Iran has sparked a divide along party and over nomenclature.

Rep. Mike Johnson:

We have to ensure that they can't fire all those barrage of missiles at our people, our troops, our assets, our citizens in the region and our installations. We're taking that out. We had to. It's a defensive operation.

Nick Schifrin:

This afternoon, the Senate rejected a bill that would have demanded congressional approval before further attacks. But some Republicans are voicing concerns if those attacks continue.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC):

I will be a no for now. But if this thing goes beyond a few weeks, I'm going to have a lot more concerns.

Nick Schifrin:

The war's first American fatalities, reservists assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command out of Des Moines, Iowa. They worked behind the lines in logistics, killed when their reportedly unreinforced building in Kuwait was hit by an Iranian drone, 39-year-old Sergeant 1st Class Nicole Amor, 25-year-old Captain Cody Khork, 42-year-old Sergeant 1st Class Noah Tietjens, and Sergeant Declan Coady, whose family says he was considering extending his deployment to Kuwait because he found the work hard but rewarding.

Andrew is Declan's father.

Andrew Coady, Father of Declan Coady: One thing he did say is that: "I haven't had a lot of jobs, but I have had jobs in the civilian world. And I have been over here for six months, and I work 12-plus-hour days. I work six to seven days a week." And he goes: "I love it."

Keira Coady, Sister of Declan Coady: This was the morning before we dropped him off for him to leave.

Nick Schifrin:

Keira is Declan's older sister.

Keira Coady:

He's 20. He was going to be 21 in two months. I just really wish I got to tell him I love him one more time, because he was just so amazing. I can't help but think just he was my little brother, and he was probably really scared, even if he didn't want people to know. So I just wish he could have known one more time that we all loved him, because he was so amazing and kind.

Nick Schifrin:

Keira said Andrew was the best little brother she could have had, just one family, Geoff, of the six Americans killed so far in this war since Saturday.

Geoff Bennett:

Our hearts certainly go out to all of those families, Nick.

We have spoken on this broadcast over the last couple of days about the effort to evacuate Americans from the region. How is that progressing?

Nick Schifrin:

The State Department said today that 17,500 Americans had returned from the Middle East, about 6,500 of them thanks to State Department efforts.

U.S. officials say that most have left on commercial flights. Some of them have left on charter flights and also U.S.-arranged ground transport to cities where the airports aren't closed. As we have been talking about, many cities across the region, those airports are closed.

And, this morning, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs also said the military had opened up seats on transport and other planes when those seats had become available. But we have spoken to former officials, a retired three-star who was in the region when the war started. I spoke to a former ambassador.

Both of them criticized the Trump administration for not handling this sooner, not evacuating people perhaps three, four, five days before the war started. President Trump was asked that question just yesterday. He said that the war started too quickly and there was just simply no time to be able to evacuate people early.

There's also been criticism that the message played on the phone number for American citizens to call yesterday, said: "Please do not rely on the U.S. government for assisted departure." Today, the State Department updated that message so people can actually talk to actual human beings to help them out.

And, at this point, this is the guidance that the State Department is giving. You can see this on this graphic right here. U.S. citizens need to register with the State Department. They have to follow the State Department on -- via WhatsApp and call this number, 202-501-4444. That's the number at the bottom.

Geoff, that's because you have to make that call because, until people actually register or tell the State Department where they are, the State Department suddenly doesn't know how many people need to get out and how.

Geoff Bennett:

Nick Schifrin, thanks, as always, for your reporting.

Nick Schifrin:

Thank you.