CENTCOM Doubles Its Target Count In Under A Week
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Thursday that American forces have now struck approximately 6,000 targets across Iran since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28, 2026 — a staggering escalation that has effectively doubled the target count in less than a week.
The milestone, confirmed via CENTCOM’s social media channels, represents one of the most intensive sustained air campaigns in modern military history. Just six days ago, on March 6, CENTCOM reported hitting 3,000 targets. By March 11, that figure had climbed to 5,500. Now, barely 24 hours later, another 500 targets have been added to the tally.
Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander, stated that “strike waves” have been carried out nearly every hour from different locations and directions going into Iran, describing the operation as delivering “devastating combat power against the Iranian regime.”
Iranian Navy Decimated: All Soleimani-Class Warships Destroyed
Perhaps the most consequential military development this week has been the near-total destruction of Iran’s naval capability. CENTCOM confirmed that all four of Iran’s Soleimani-class warships have been destroyed, along with more than 90 Iranian naval vessels in total.
The campaign against Iran’s navy has been methodical and relentless. On March 10 alone, U.S. forces destroyed 16 Iranian minelayers operating near the Strait of Hormuz — vessels that had been actively deploying mines to disrupt one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
CENTCOM has also declared Iran’s civilian ports to be legitimate military targets, citing intelligence that the Iranian military has been deploying ships and equipment inside civilian harbors — effectively using them as shields against American strikes.
The targeting has expanded beyond naval assets to include missile launchers, drone bases, IRGC headquarters, Basij militia facilities, communications infrastructure, and hardened military bunkers across multiple Iranian provinces including Tehran, Kermanshah, and Lorestan.
The Price Tag: $11.3 Billion And Counting
While the military campaign has been devastating for Iran, the financial toll on American taxpayers is becoming a major political flashpoint. In a closed-door briefing to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week, Trump administration officials revealed that the first six days of the war alone cost the United States at least $11.3 billion, according to multiple reports from Reuters, The New York Times, and Fox News.
That figure — roughly $1.9 billion per day — doesn’t even account for the war’s second week, during which the tempo of strikes has only intensified. Experts estimate the total cost through Day 13 could easily exceed $25 billion when factoring in the accelerated pace of operations.
NPR reported that more than $10 billion of those costs have come from missiles alone — the precision-guided munitions, cruise missiles, and standoff weapons being fired at an unprecedented rate.
The human cost continues to mount as well. According to multiple Western news sources, nearly 2,000 people have been killed since the conflict began, including at least seven U.S. service members killed in action and approximately 140 American troops wounded, several critically. Among the Iranian casualties, reports indicate at least 175 schoolchildren have been killed, a figure that has drawn international condemnation.
Oil Markets In Chaos Despite Massive Reserve Release
The economic shockwaves from Operation Epic Fury continue to ripple through global markets. On Thursday, oil prices once again surged past $100 per barrel — defying a coordinated international effort to stabilize energy markets.
The price surge came despite the Trump administration’s announcement Wednesday evening that it would release 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), one of the largest drawdowns in history. Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated the U.S. had “arranged to more than replace these strategic reserves with approximately 200 million barrels within the next year — 20% more barrels than will be drawn down and at no cost to the taxpayer.”
But the reserve release has done little to calm markets. The fundamental problem remains Iran’s campaign to choke the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which 20-30% of the world’s seaborne oil trade flows.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have declared they will not allow “one litre of oil” to be exported from the Middle East as long as U.S. and Israeli attacks continue. Iranian forces have struck merchant ships, attacked oil tankers, and even targeted Dubai’s international airport — the world’s busiest — in a campaign to inflict maximum economic damage on U.S. allies in the Gulf.
Oil prices have rocketed more than 50% since the start of 2026, climbing from roughly $60 per barrel in January to well over $100 today. Economists warn the sustained price shock could trigger stagflation — a toxic combination of rising prices, rising interest rates, and slowing economic growth that hasn’t been seen since the 1970s oil crises.
New Supreme Leader Doubles Down
Adding fuel to the fire, Iran’s state media on Thursday released what it said was the first public address from new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — the son of Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28.
The younger Khamenei vowed to “avenge the blood of the martyrs” and declared that the Strait of Hormuz would “remain closed” until all attacks on Iran cease. The defiant statement dashed any remaining hopes for a quick diplomatic resolution to the crisis.
Meanwhile, Iran has fired over 500 ballistic missiles at U.S. bases and allied targets across the region since the war began, though military analysts note the rate of launches has decreased significantly — suggesting either a depletion of Iranian missile stocks or a deliberate strategy of rationing for a longer conflict.
What Happens Next?
Thirteen days into Operation Epic Fury, the military math is increasingly one-sided. Iran’s navy has been effectively eliminated. Its missile infrastructure is being systematically dismantled. Its military leadership — already decapitated with the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — is in disarray.
But Iran’s asymmetric strategy of economic warfare through the Strait of Hormuz continues to inflict real pain on global markets. And the $11.3 billion price tag for just the first week raises uncomfortable questions about the long-term sustainability of this campaign, especially as the U.S. simultaneously navigates domestic budget battles.
The war shows no signs of ending soon. With a new Supreme Leader issuing defiant declarations and American forces striking targets at a rate of roughly 460 per day, the conflict appears to be entering a new and potentially more dangerous phase — one where the economic consequences may ultimately prove more significant than the military ones.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as the situation evolves.