State Department tells Americans worldwide to 'exercise increased caution'

Six airmen who were killed in a KC-135 crash last week will be transferred back to the U.S. for the final time at Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday, according to a White House official.

The airmen were identified by the Pentagon over the weekend as Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky, — assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida — and Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio — assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio.

Iran’s regime is “largely degraded” but “appears to be intact,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified to lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

Gabbard noted that although Iran can attack the U.S. and allies in the Middle East, it will take years to rebuild its missile program.

“The regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilities,” Gabbard said. “Its conventional military power projection capabilities have largely been destroyed, leaving limited options. Iran's strategic position has been significantly degraded.”

“Its regional power projection capabilities have been destroyed, leaving limited options," Gabbard said.

She also warned that while “internal tensions are likely to increase” inside Iran as its “economy worsens.” And, the director said, if “hostile regime survives it will likely seek to begin a year's long effort to rebuild its military, missiles and UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] forces."

The fire caused by Israeli strikes on the gas refineries in Iran is contained, the governor of Asaluyeh, Iran, said Wednesday, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

"To prevent the fire from spreading, the damaged phases were taken out of production," the governor said, adding that the remaining fire and smoke are caused by residual gases in the pipes and will extinguish automatically once the gases have fully cleared.

Iran's Ministry of Oil said that some of the facilities in Asluyeh have been damaged, with cooling and fire extinguishing operations resulting from the attacks underway.

No injuries or fatalities have been reported due to this attack, according to the ministry's report.