United States forces have carried out more than 6,000 combat flights since the start of “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran on Feb. 28, Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, announced on Monday.
The thousands of sorties by U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps aviators demonstrate “the unmatched capability of America’s joint force as we maintain air superiority over Iranian skies,” he said.
America’s “overwhelming firepower deep into Iran” remains focused on a series of well-defined military objectives, including eliminating the ballistic missile, drone and naval threats posed by Tehran, Cooper said.
Update from CENTCOM Commander on Operation Epic Fury: pic.twitter.com/oGJ3QJBz5o
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 16, 2026
Cooper revealed several examples of strikes targeting the “wider manufacturing apparatus” behind those threats, including against a naval drone storage facility near the Strait of Hormuz, a suicide drone production factory located in Tehran, and an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arms depot in Yazd Province.
On Friday, U.S. forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island, Iran’s main crude export terminal, destroying 90-plus military targets, including naval mines and missile storage depots.
“U.S. and partner strikes are doing exactly what they are intended to do—deliver on very clear military objectives to eliminate Iran’s ability to project power against Americans and against its neighbors,” Cooper said.
The CENTCOM commander also highlighted ongoing Iranian ballistic missile attacks on civilian areas in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, Turkey, Azerbaijan, the UAE, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain.
“In just the last few days, the Iranian regime launched a reckless attack against civilian neighborhoods in Tel Aviv with cluster bombs—an inherently indiscriminate type of munition,” stated Cooper.
“We join countries across the region in condemning this aggression, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners in bolstering our own defenses,” he added.
On the naval front, the U.S. military continues to “rapidly deplete” Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the CENTCOM chief said, revealing that already more than 100 Iranian naval vessels have been destroyed in the war—"and we aren’t done.”
The war’s progress “remains steady, and we remain vigilant against the enemy,” Cooper declared. “To the entire Operation Epic Fury team, keep pushing, remain steady, fight to win. Thanks so much—and Godspeed.”
Washington launched the operation against the Iranian regime jointly with Israel, which codenamed the operation “Roaring Lion.”
