One month into Operation Epic Fury, the US-Israeli campaign against Iran shows no signs of slowing down. With over 13,000 targets struck, cluster missiles slamming into Israeli neighborhoods, a Kuwaiti oil tanker ablaze off Dubai, and oil crashing through $100 a barrel, Day 32 marks one of the most consequential turning points of the conflict yet.
Israel Vows ‘Weeks More’ of Strikes as IDF Destroys 80% of Iran’s Air Defenses
An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday, March 31, that the Israel Defense Forces are prepared to continue striking Iran “for weeks to come.” The statement came as the IDF reported it has now destroyed more than 80 percent of Iran’s air defense systems and struck over 170 targets in the past day alone.
According to President Trump’s interview with the Financial Times on March 30, the combined US-Israeli force has struck a staggering 13,000 targets since Operation Epic Fury launched on February 28. CENTCOM’s Saturday update had placed the number at over 11,000 — with more than 150 Iranian naval vessels destroyed or damaged.
The Washington Post reported that combined force airstrikes have caused “severe damage” to four key Iranian ballistic missile production facilities — Khojir, Shahroud, Parchin, and Hakimiyeh — with experts assessing that the damage has “most likely halted Iran’s ability to produce short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles until facilities can be rebuilt.”
Cluster Missiles Slam Into Central Israel — Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva Hit
Despite the coalition’s devastating air campaign, Iran is far from neutralized. Early Tuesday morning, Iranian forces fired cluster missile salvos directly at central Israel, striking populated areas in Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva, Givat Shmuel, and the greater Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
Israeli emergency services reported at least 13 people lightly injured, with rescue workers pulling a mother and her children from damaged buildings. Cars were set ablaze, and a house in Bnei Brak sustained a direct hit. Rescue crews from Magen David Adom (MDA) and Hatzalah were deployed across multiple impact sites.
Iran has now fired an estimated 300 missiles at Israel over the course of the war, with nearly half carrying cluster submunitions — a weapon banned by the Convention on Cluster Munitions. These warheads scatter dozens of explosive bomblets across a 10-kilometer radius, making them particularly devastating against civilian areas.
The IDF confirmed that while many incoming missiles were intercepted, the cluster munition warheads pose an ongoing challenge to Israel’s multi-layered missile defense architecture, including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow systems.
Iranian Drone Sets Kuwaiti Oil Tanker Ablaze Off Dubai
In what Reuters described as one of the “most significant attacks on a vessel” in the month-long conflict, an Iranian drone struck the Kuwait-flagged Al-Salmi crude oil tanker off the coast of Dubai early Tuesday. The fully laden tanker caught fire and sustained significant damage, raising fears of a major oil spill in waters near the critical Strait of Hormuz.
The strike pushed crude oil prices higher still. US crude settled above $100 per barrel on Monday for the first time since July 2022, and the average US gas price hit $3.99 according to AAA. Analysts warn that Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil passes — could push prices even higher.
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that “it is arguably Iran that has secured the most significant strategic victory” after one month of fighting — not through military superiority, but through its ability to disrupt global energy markets and inflict economic pain on Western economies.
Iran Blows Hole in US Aluminium Supply Chain
Beyond oil, Iran’s retaliatory strikes are now threatening critical US supply chains. Over the weekend, Iranian attacks struck the two largest aluminium smelters in the Middle East — Emirates Global Aluminium’s 1.5 million metric ton per year Al Taweelah facility in Abu Dhabi, and Aluminium Bahrain’s 1.6 million ton per year plant.
The United States has a 60 percent reliance on aluminium imports, according to the US Geological Survey, producing just 660,000 tons of primary aluminium domestically in 2025 — less than half the output of the Bahrain plant alone. Middle Eastern suppliers accounted for nearly 22 percent of total US aluminium imports last year.
London Metal Exchange aluminium prices jumped 6 percent on Monday to $3,492 per ton, near a four-year high. “In this sort of market, when you suddenly take out 3 million tons of capacity, it cannot be replaced,” said Panmure Liberum analyst Tom Price.
Aluminium is classified as a critical mineral by the US government and is widely used in automotive manufacturing, packaging, and — critically — military applications, with the US military consuming an estimated 450,000 tons annually.
The One-Month Scoreboard: Who’s Winning?
Thirty-two days in, the strategic picture is complex. Here’s where things stand:
Coalition Gains:
- Over 13,000 targets struck across Iran
- 80%+ of Iran’s air defense systems destroyed
- 330 of Iran’s estimated 470 missile launchers destroyed or rendered inoperable
- 150+ Iranian naval vessels destroyed
- Four key ballistic missile production facilities severely damaged
- Supreme Leader Khamenei and dozens of senior officials killed in opening strikes
- Iran’s missile production capability “most likely halted”
Iran’s Counterpunch:
- Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to shipping
- 300+ missiles fired at Israel, including banned cluster munitions
- Strikes on Gulf state infrastructure (aluminium smelters, oil facilities)
- 13 US service members killed during Operation Epic Fury
- Oil prices above $100/barrel, gas approaching $4/gallon
- Kuwait oil tanker struck off Dubai
- Houthi, Hezbollah, and proxy forces engaged across the region
Diplomatic Front:
- Iran called the latest US proposals “unrealistic”
- Secretary of State Rubio told Al Jazeera that Trump “prefers diplomacy”
- Spain closed its airspace to US military flights — a rare NATO defection
- Pakistan’s Foreign Minister floated regional mediation talks
- Trump threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s energy grid and “take the oil”
What Comes Next
With Israel explicitly stating it is prepared for “weeks more” of operations, and Trump oscillating between threats to “obliterate” Iranian infrastructure and signals that he’d prefer a diplomatic exit, the conflict appears locked in a dangerous equilibrium.
The coalition has achieved devastating military results — Iran’s air defenses are gutted, its missile production crippled, and its military command structure decapitated. But Iran’s ability to inflict economic pain through energy market disruption and proxy warfare remains formidable.
The next 72 hours could prove decisive. Trump’s threat to target Iran’s energy infrastructure — including the critical Kharg Island oil terminal — would represent a significant escalation that could send oil prices soaring well beyond $100. Meanwhile, 300 Russian specialists reportedly remain at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, adding a dangerous wild card to an already volatile situation.
One thing is clear: one month in, this war is far from over.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as the situation evolves.