Iran has denied attacking Turkey after a ballistic missile entered Nato member Turkey's airspace and was intercepted by the alliance's air defences on Wednesday. The incident marks the first time the conflict has directly drawn in a Nato member bordering Asia, raising fears of a major expansion of the war.
The Iranian Armed Forces General Staff issued a statement on Thursday denying that it fired missiles at Turkey, asserting that the Islamic Republic respects Turkish sovereignty. The denial came as the Iran war entered its sixth day, with countries across the Gulf coming under attack as Tehran retaliates against US and Israeli airstrikes that began on Saturday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan that attacks on Turkey's territory are unacceptable, and pledged full US support after the missile was shot down, according to the State Department. The war has spread beyond the Middle East, with the US announcing on Wednesday that one of its submarines had struck an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that a US Navy submarine destroyed the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the torpedo attack, which Sri Lankan authorities say killed at least 80 of the 180 people on board. Hegseth stated, 'An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death.'
Iran launched more missiles at Israel and US bases in the Middle East on Thursday, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards claimed they struck a US tanker in the northern Gulf, though the US has not confirmed this. The IRGC also stated that passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be under Iranian control, a move that could severely disrupt global oil supplies.
