The Iranian regime’s ability to hit the United States and its partners is declining, a CENTCOM commander said.
The U.S. military has deployed over 50,000 troops, 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers, and bombers as part of Operation Epic Fury against Iran, with more capabilities “on the way,” Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said in a March 3 video update on X.
“These forces bring a massive amount of firepower, representing the largest buildup by the U.S. in the Middle East in a generation,” Cooper said. “Now, we’re less than 100 hours into this operation, and we’ve already struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions. We have severely degraded Iran’s air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran’s ballistic missiles, launchers, and drones.”
“Our B-2 bombers and B-1 bombers have executed uncontested surgical strikes against multiple missile facilities deep inside Iran, and then just last night, a B-52 bomber force struck ballistic missile and command and control posts,“ Cooper wrote, adding that U.S. forces had also sunk the entire Iranian Navy, a total of 17 ships, ”including the most operational Iranian submarine, that now has a hole in its side.”
The Iranian regime, which has harassed international shipping for decades, now does not have a single ship in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or the Gulf of Oman, Cooper said.
The admiral said U.S. forces will continue to hunt down Iran’s last remaining mobile ballistic missile launchers to remove the regime’s “lingering launch capability.”
According to Cooper, the Iranian regime has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones in retaliatory attacks, with Tehran “indiscriminately targeting civilians.” However, the regime’s ability to hit the United States and its partners is declining.
U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, with the conflict in its fourth day on Tuesday.
In a March 1 post on X, CENTCOM said the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had killed more than 1,000 Americans over the past 47 years.
“Yesterday, a large-scale U.S. strike cut off the head of the snake. America has the most powerful military on earth, and the IRGC no longer has a headquarters,” CENTCOM said.
As of March 2, six U.S. service members have been killed in action. A CENTCOM spokesperson said 18 service members have been seriously wounded.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) expressed disapproval regarding an impending vote on the War Powers Act that threatens to restrict President Donald Trump’s ability to execute military operations in Iran.
“Iran’s increasing aggression and rapid ballistic missile development presented a clear and imminent threat that demanded decisive action,” Johnson said in a March 3 X post. “Efforts now to restrict the Commander in Chief from completing this limited but crucial mission would be both dangerous and irresponsible.”
