Rabat – The US military says its forces have destroyed more than 30 Iranian naval vessels since the start of the joint US-Israeli war against Iran, a senior American commander announced on Thursday.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), shared the update during a press conference in Tampa, Florida, where he appeared alongside US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The commander described a sharp rise in strikes against Iran’s naval assets as Operation Epic Fury continues.
“Our attacks on the Iranian navy have intensified,” Cooper said. “We have destroyed more than thirty vessels. In the last few hours, we also struck a drone carrier, a ship close in size to a World War II aircraft carrier. The vessel remains on fire as we speak.”
US officials also pointed to a significant decline in Iranian missile and drone activity since the first hours of the confrontation.
Cooper said ballistic missile launches from Iran dropped by about 90% over the past day compared with the opening day of the conflict. Drone attacks followed the same trend, with a decrease of roughly 83%.
Pentagon data shows a similar pattern. According to the US Defense Department, Iranian tactical ballistic missile launches have fallen by 86% compared with the first day of combat, with a further 23% decline recorded over the past 24 hours.
Drone attacks have also decreased by about 73% since the early phase of the escalation.
Despite the drop in attacks, Cooper warned that the situation remains volatile. He said the next phase of the military campaign will aim to weaken Iran’s long-term missile capabilities.
“As this operation moves forward, we plan to dismantle Iran’s missile production capacity step by step,” he said.
The US military estimates that Iran has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones across the region since the initial US-Israeli attack on Saturday.
The confrontation has deepened fears of a wider war in the Middle East as diplomatic pressure grows for de-escalation.
