CENTCOM: 17 Iranian Warships Destroyed, Including a Submarine
The Pentagon delivered a staggering operational update on Tuesday that underscored the sheer scale of Operation Epic Fury — and just how badly Iran’s military has been degraded in less than a week.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, revealed that American forces have struck nearly 2,000 targets inside Iran using more than 2,000 munitions. Among the most devastating blows: the destruction of 17 Iranian naval vessels, including the country’s most combat-ready submarine — believed to be a Russian-built Kilo-class attack boat.
“Many of you may remember the Shock and Awe strikes of 2003,” Cooper said in a video briefing. “The first 24 hours of this operation were nearly double the scale. And we continue with 24/7 strikes into Iran — from seabed to space and cyberspace.”
That’s not hyperbole. CENTCOM confirmed that alongside conventional airstrikes from B-2 and B-1 stealth bombers, the U.S. is running coordinated cyber operations, electronic warfare, and submarine-launched strikes around the clock. More than 50,000 U.S. troops are now deployed in the theater, supported by 200 combat aircraft and two carrier strike groups.
The Iranian Navy, once considered a regional nuisance with its fleet of fast attack boats, midget submarines, and missile corvettes, has been effectively crippled. CENTCOM specifically highlighted strikes on Iran’s fleet of midget subs and its Kilo-class boats — the most capable undersea threat Tehran possessed. The most operational submarine is now “holed and disabled,” according to U.S. officials.
Israel Launches ‘Broad Wave’ of Infrastructure Strikes
As if the American bombardment wasn’t enough, Israel opened a devastating new front in the early hours of Wednesday (March 4, local time).
The Israeli Defense Forces announced they had “begun a broad wave of strikes” targeting Iran’s launch sites, aerial defense systems, and critical infrastructure. This represents a significant escalation — moving beyond military targets to strike at the backbone of Iran’s ability to wage war.
The IDF has conducted more than 1,000 sorties over Iran since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28. Previous Israeli strikes already hit Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, the IRGC’s Malek-Ashtar building in Tehran (completely destroyed, per video released by Iran International), and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) complex.
But the new “broad wave” signals something more systematic — a campaign to dismantle Iran’s air defense network and destroy its remaining missile launch capability. Israeli officials have made clear: the goal is to ensure Iran can never threaten Israel with ballistic missiles again.
The Cyber War You’re Not Seeing
Israel isn’t just dropping bombs. According to The Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch, coordinated cyberattacks have targeted Iranian infrastructure, media systems, and even civilian phone apps.
The most brazen example: hackers compromised BadeSaba Calendar, a popular Iranian prayer app with over 5 million downloads. On the first day of strikes, the app was hijacked to push notifications in Persian urging military personnel to “give up weapons and join the people” and declaring “It’s time for reckoning.”
Traffic cameras were hacked. State television was disrupted. Iran’s internet has been largely blacked out for four consecutive days. It’s a full-spectrum information war running in parallel with the kinetic campaign.
Iran Closes the Strait of Hormuz — and the World Feels It
Perhaps the most consequential development of the past 48 hours isn’t happening in Tehran — it’s happening in the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman.
On March 2, a senior IRGC commander officially declared the Strait of Hormuz closed and threatened to fire on any vessel attempting to transit. This wasn’t an idle threat. The IRGC Navy claims its forces have struck roughly 10 oil tankers in the strait, and maritime tracking data shows a 70% reduction in shipping traffic through one of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints.
Roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz on any given day. Its effective closure — achieved through a combination of drone strikes, naval mines, and sheer intimidation — sent energy markets into a frenzy.
Brent crude surged to $85 a barrel on Tuesday morning, a roughly 25% increase in just days. It eventually settled at $81.40 — still up 4.7% on the day and the highest settlement since January 2025. U.S. gas prices have topped $3 a gallon. Supertanker shipping rates have skyrocketed as insurers dropped war risk coverage entirely.
Trump’s Answer: Naval Escorts and Government Insurance
Faced with soaring energy prices and a strait that’s effectively become a war zone, President Trump made a dramatic announcement Tuesday: the United States will provide naval escorts and government-backed political risk insurance for oil and gas tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“The U.S. Navy will escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary,” Trump declared. The move is one of the administration’s most aggressive steps yet to contain the economic fallout from the war it started.
The announcement had an immediate market impact — oil prices trimmed their gains significantly in late-afternoon trading, and U.S. stocks pared losses. But experts remain skeptical.
“There was never really a point at which insurance alone would have prevented ships from going through the Strait of Hormuz,” a BBC analyst noted. “Just because you’ve got a naval escort doesn’t mean to say you’re safe.”
The fundamental problem remains: Iran’s IRGC operates fast attack boats, anti-ship missiles, and naval mines throughout the strait. Even with U.S. Navy escorts, commercial vessels would be sailing through waters where Iranian forces have already demonstrated the willingness — and capability — to strike.
Iran Strikes Back: Embassies, Bases, and Gulf Allies Under Fire
Tehran is far from passive in this fight. Despite catastrophic losses to its military infrastructure, Iran has launched waves of retaliatory strikes that have hit targets across the region:
- U.S. Embassy in Riyadh: Drone strikes caused a fire at the American embassy compound in Saudi Arabia’s capital
- U.S. Consulate in Dubai: A separate drone attack sparked a fire near the U.S. consulate in the UAE
- U.S. bases in Kuwait: Attacks killed at least 6 U.S. service members, four of whom have been identified
- 9 countries: Iranian missiles and drones have struck targets across at least nine nations in the region
The State Department has ordered all American citizens to leave the Middle East. Emirates operated its first departure from Dubai since the attacks began — a flight to Mumbai on Monday — signaling just how disrupted commercial aviation has become.
Trump, for his part, predicted the war would last “four to five weeks” but said the U.S. has the capability to go “far longer than that.” He also claimed Iran is “running out of ammo” but acknowledged Tehran will “keep lobbing missiles for a while.”
The Toll So Far
As Operation Epic Fury enters Day 5, the human cost continues to mount:
- Iranian casualties: At least 555 killed by US-Israeli attacks, according to the Iranian Red Crescent (with Hengaw estimating 1,300 military deaths)
- U.S. casualties: 6 service members killed
- Civilian infrastructure: Two students killed in a Tehran strike; IRIB broadcasting complex hit; widespread damage to military and dual-use facilities across Iran
The UN has urged restraint from all sides, with Secretary-General calling the escalation deeply alarming. But with Israel launching new waves of strikes, Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, and the Pentagon promising the “hardest hits are yet to come” — restraint appears to be the last thing on anyone’s agenda.
What Comes Next
The war is now being fought on multiple fronts simultaneously: conventional airstrikes, naval warfare, cyber operations, economic warfare through the Hormuz closure, and a regional proxy conflict that spans from Lebanon to the Gulf states.
Key questions for the coming days:
- Can the U.S. Navy actually reopen the Strait of Hormuz while fighting a war against the country that controls its northern shore?
- Will Iran’s retaliatory capabilities degrade fast enough to prevent further American casualties?
- How long can global energy markets absorb the disruption before the economic pain forces a diplomatic off-ramp?
- Will the conflict draw in additional regional players — or will Iran’s allies calculate that staying out is the smarter bet?
One thing is clear: Operation Epic Fury has already surpassed the scale of any U.S. military operation since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. And unlike Iraq, Iran is fighting back — hard. The next 48 hours could determine whether this remains a contained air campaign or spirals into something far larger.