US Military Commander Claims to Destroy 17 Iranian Ships, Including a Submarine

JAKARTA - The commander of the US military in the Middle East in a video uploaded on social media claimed that his troops had targeted 2,000 targets in Iran, including destroying 17 Navy ships, in a military campaign involving tens of thousands of military members.

"Simply put, we are focused on shooting everything that can shoot us," said US Central Command (US CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper in a message posted on X, detailing the "surgical attack without resistance" by B-2 and B-1 bombers, reported from CNN (4/3).

"We also sank the Iranian Navy - the entire navy," he added.

"So far, we have destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including the most operational Iranian submarine, which now has a hole in its hull," he continued.

Update from CENTCOM Commander on Operation Epic Fury: pic.twitter.com/epEohq64Vf

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 3, 2026

US Defense Department officials said destroying the Iranian Navy was the main target of the operation.

"For decades, the Iranian regime has disrupted international shipping. Today, not a single Iranian ship is sailing in the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, or the Gulf of Oman," Admiral Cooper explained.

"And we will not stop," he concluded.

More than 50,000 US troops and more than 200 warplanes were involved in the mission, Admiral Cooper said.

"Now, we are less than 100 hours into this operation, and we have attacked almost 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions," he said.

Cooper's comments came four days after the US military campaign against Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, began last Saturday.

In response to the US and Israeli bombings, Iran has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones, Admiral Cooper claims.

However, the US CENTCOM commander claimed that "Tehran's ability to attack us is decreasing."