US Strikes Over 7,000 Targets in Iran Under ‘Operation Epic Fury’: Pentagon
The Pentagon on Thursday said that the United States military has deployed 5,000-pound penetrator weapons on underground Iranian storage facilities and struck over 7,000 targets across Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury.
Addressing a press briefing, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said the strikes targeted underground facilities housing coastal defence cruise missiles, naval ammunition depots, mine storage sites, and afloat assets, including more than 120 vessels and 44 minelayers.
“We are flying further east and penetrating deeper into Iranian airspace to hunt and eliminate one-way attack garrisons, destroying Iran’s ability to project power beyond its borders,” he said.
General Caine was joined by US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, who stated that the strikes have caused extensive damage to Iran’s military infrastructure.
Hegseth said Iran’s ability to manufacture new ballistic missiles has been severely affected, adding that missile attacks on US forces have dropped by 90 per cent since the start of the conflict.
“To date, we have struck over 7,000 targets across Iran’s military infrastructure. This is not incremental — it is overwhelming force applied with precision. Our capabilities continue to expand, while Iran’s capacity continues to degrade,” he said.
He added that hundreds of defence industrial sites, including factories and production lines supporting missile and drone programmes, have been hit.
Hegseth also claimed that more than 120 Iranian naval vessels have been damaged or destroyed, while submarines, previously numbering 11, are no longer operational.
“Iran’s military ports are effectively crippled,” he said.
The developments come amid escalating tensions in West Asia following the February 28 killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint US-Israeli strikes. In retaliation, Iran targeted US and Israeli assets across several Gulf countries, disrupting key waterways and impacting global energy markets.
Amid the ongoing conflict, Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies.
Following Khamenei’s death, his son Mojtaba Khamenei has been appointed as the new Supreme Leader of Iran.
