U.S. forces struck an Iranian drone-carrier ship Thursday and left it burning, the top American commander for the Middle East said, as Washington intensified attacks meant to cripple Iran’s navy and expand strikes deeper inside the country.
Cooper Says Drone Carrier ‘On Fire’
Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters during a press conference that the vessel was roughly the size of a World War II “aircraft carrier” and “as we speak, it’s on fire.”
The strike built on the opening hours of the war that began Saturday. CENTCOM said then that U.S. forces hit Iran’s drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri as part of the initial barrage, after Iranian outlets circulated claims that Iran had sunk a U.S. aircraft carrier.
A strike arrives a day after a U.S. Navy fast-attack submarine sank Iran’s frigate IRIS Dena in international waters south of Galle, Sri Lanka, U.S. officials said. According to a Reuters report on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the strike as an “atrocity at sea,” saying, “Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning… Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set.”
U.S. Claims Heavy Damage To Iran’s Navy
Cooper said U.S. operations against Iran’s fleet have accelerated, with more than 30 Iranian warships sunk or destroyed. He added that American bombers hit nearly 200 targets “deep inside” Iran in a short period, including sites in and around Tehran.
Cooper also said Iran’s ability to strike back has dropped sharply since fighting began, with ballistic-missile attacks down 90% and drone strikes down 83%. “Having said this, we remain vigilant,” he said.
He said stealth B-2 bombers dropped “dozens” of 2,000-pound penetrator bombs on “deeply buried” ballistic-missile launchers, and U.S. forces struck what he described as Tehran’s equivalent of Space Command “which degrades their ability to threaten Americans.”
Hegseth Promises Surge As War Widens
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, standing alongside Cooper at CENTCOM headquarters, said U.S. firepower over Iran is about to “surge dramatically” as allies expand basing access beyond British facilities. “We’ve had other friends step up, and we’re grateful for that,” he said.
The briefing came as the war spread across the Gulf, where regional states have tracked and intercepted incoming Iranian drones while some still caused damage. Cooper said Trump ordered U.S. forces to “raise or level” Iran’s ballistic-missile industrial base. “So we’re not just hitting what they have, we’re destroying their ability to rebuild,” he said, adding, “this is going to take some time, but our forces are well supplied.”
Photo Courtesy: Anelo on Shutterstock.com
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