According to military officials, U.S. forces have significantly intensified operations against Iranian military capabilities as part of the ongoing campaign known as Operation Epic Fury.
Admiral Cooper announced that U.S. forces struck an Iranian drone carrier vessel just hours before the briefing. The ship—described as roughly the size of a World War II–era aircraft carrier—was hit during ongoing maritime strikes.
“In just the last few hours, we hit an Iranian drone carrier ship, roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier. As we speak, it’s on fire,” Cooper said.
Iranian Naval Forces Suffer Heavy Losses
Cooper stated that U.S. forces have now sunk more than 30 Iranian naval vessels since the start of the campaign earlier this week. The strikes are part of a broader effort to neutralize Iran’s ability to project military power in the region.
U.S. bombers and naval forces have targeted a wide range of assets, including:
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Iranian naval ships and maritime bases
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Ballistic missile launchers and production facilities
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Air defense systems
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Military command and control infrastructure
Over the past 72 hours alone, American bomber forces have struck nearly 200 targets inside Iran, including deeply buried missile launchers targeted with heavy bunker-penetrating bombs.
Iran’s Offensive Capabilities Declining
CENTCOM officials said the strikes are already having measurable effects on Iran’s military operations.
Since the beginning of the campaign:
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Ballistic missile attacks from Iran have dropped by about 90%
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Drone attacks have decreased by approximately 83%
These reductions, according to Cooper, indicate that U.S. and allied strikes are degrading Iran’s ability to conduct large-scale attacks across the region.
U.S. Strategy Moving Forward
Secretary Hegseth emphasized that the campaign is focused on eliminating Iran’s military threat rather than expanding the conflict.
“Our goal is to dismantle Iran’s missile industrial base and ensure they cannot rebuild these capabilities,” Cooper said during the briefing.
Hegseth also stated that the United States has sufficient weapons stockpiles to sustain the operation for as long as necessary, signaling that further strikes may continue in the coming days.
Escalating Regional Conflict
The strikes come amid a rapidly intensifying conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. U.S. officials say the ongoing operations are designed to neutralize Iran’s missile and naval capabilities, prevent further attacks against regional partners, and ensure Iran cannot develop or deploy nuclear weapons.
As the campaign continues, CENTCOM leaders say additional operations targeting Iranian military infrastructure are already underway.
