5,500 targets inside Iran, including 60+ ships, eliminated: US commander
Adm. Cooper says US forces continue delivering devastaing combat power vs Iranian regime
Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks have dropped drastically, supporting broader goals of neutralising threats in the Strait of Hormuz, the US commander in the Middle East said.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the US Central Command in charge of "Operation Epic Fury", has highlighted in an X post a sharp decline in Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in the ongoing conflict, attributing it to US-led strikes under Operation Epic Fury.
The Trump government has claimed that Iranian ballistic missile attacks down 90% even as 60+ Iranian vessels had been sunk or destroyed, while all 4 Soleimani-class warships taken out.
As of March 11, Cooper noted over 5,500 targets struck, including entire warship classes and deeply-buried launchers via B-2 bombers, further degrading Iran's capabilities.
These figures reflect systematic targeting of Iran's missile production, launchers, and drone carriers, easing pressure on allied air defenses.
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The US military took out the last four of Iran's Soleimani-class warships — leaving an entire class of Iranian surface vessels now out of the fight, according to the chief of US forces in the Middle East.
Iran targets civilian facilities
Cooper assailed Iranian forces who continue to target civilians in Gulf countries "while hiding behind their own people as they launch attacks from highly populated cities in Iran".
The US admiral said that besides defending against drones, they are also striking their Iran's defense industrial base, hitting a "large" ballistic missile manufacturing facility.
Cooper also showed videos of strikes against an Iranian Jamaran-class warship, a large patrol ship, a drone smuggling vessel, and four other surface combatants docked at Chabahar Port in the Gulf of Oman, while a Bayandor-class surface ship was hit, rolling on its side.
Two Iranian surface combat ships were also engulfed in flames after being hit by a precision weapon.
Constant pressure on Iranian regime
"For years, the Iranian regime has threatened commercial shipping, U.S. forces, and international waters. Our mission is to end their ability to project power and harass shipping from the air. We have achieved concentration of air power with back-to-back waves of advanced fighters, creating constant pressure on the enemy every single day."
Cooper added their alliances in the Middle are "ironclad".
"We continue to coordinate closely and effectively with Israel in this very large operation, and we are also coordinating and serving side by side with all our partners in the Middle East."
US-led forces are "on a path to eliminate Iran's ability to threaten Americans and our friends, and we are achieving this through a combination of lethality, precision, and rapid innovation."
AI used in war
Cooper also said allied warfighters are leveraging a variety of advanced AI tools, enabling their forces to sift through vast amounts of data in seconds, though humans will always make the final decision on what to shoot or not to shoot, when.
"Advanced AI tools turn processes that used to take hours—sometimes even days—into seconds."
