The U.S.-led campaign named Operation Epic Fury has expanded rapidly, with CENTCOM reporting a large-scale buildup of forces and a sustained series of strikes against Iranian military, missile, and naval targets. CENTCOM’s commander, Adm. Brad Cooper, described the campaign as unprecedented in scale for the region, citing thousands of strikes, vast numbers of munitions, and losses inflicted on Iranian forces and infrastructure. This dispatch lays out the operational picture, force posture, and the strike outcomes claimed by U.S. command while preserving the commander’s own words on objectives and progress.
The CENTCOM update emphasizes speed and concentration of combat power, saying the operation entered its fourth day with a major American presence across the theater. Adm. Brad Cooper posted a video message summarizing the campaign’s tempo and scope and underlining U.S. resolve to remove Iran’s capability to threaten Americans. The message frames the mission as decisive and relentless, aimed at degrading Tehran’s means to strike U.S. forces and partners.
CENTCOM says this campaign involves more than 50,000 U.S. troops, roughly 200 fighter aircraft, two aircraft carrier strike groups, and long-range bomber forces operating across multiple theaters. That kind of force mix signals a sustained, multi-axis effort that spans air, sea, and strike assets. The commander stressed that the U.S. has committed overwhelming combat power to this fight and is using it to systematically remove Iran’s offensive systems.
“By order of the President of the United States and the Secretary of War, our military in the Middle East is undertaking an unprecedented operation to eliminate Iran’s ability to threaten Americans,” Cooper said.
The opening phase, CENTCOM reports, delivered coordinated strikes into Iranian military infrastructure together with Israeli forces, presenting a combined posture designed to shock and disable key capabilities. The campaign is approaching the 100-hour mark and has produced thousands of strikes across Iranian territory, according to the update. That rapid rhythm of operations is intended to limit Iran’s ability to reconstitute launchers, command hubs, and sensor networks.
“These forces bring a massive amount of firepower, representing the largest buildup by the U.S. in the Middle East in a generation.”
CENTCOM states forces have struck nearly 2,000 targets and expended more than 2,000 munitions across Iranian territory, hitting missile launch facilities, air defense systems, command sites, and drone infrastructure. Such a target set is squarely aimed at the nodes that enable long-range strikes and swarm drone attacks. The campaign also includes long-range bomber missions described as deep, precise, and intended to degrade the architecture that supports Iranian targeting of U.S. assets.
“In the opening hours of Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command forces, together with Israel, delivered overwhelming and unprecedented strikes into Iran.”
Strategic bombers have been named explicitly in the operational account, with CENTCOM saying B-2s, B-1s, and B-52s executed strikes against missile facilities and command and control posts. The commander framed those missions as surgical and uncontested, striking targets deep inside Iranian territory to deny future attacks. This is a direct, capability-focused approach rather than an open-ended occupation or ground intervention.
“Our B-2 bombers and B-1 bombers have executed uncontested surgical strikes against multiple missile facilities deep inside Iran. Just last night, a B-52 bomber force struck ballistic missile and command and control posts.”
The operation has also expanded into maritime strikes, with CENTCOM reporting that U.S. forces have destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including what the commander described as the country’s most operational submarine. Sinking seaborne assets reduces Iran’s ability to threaten shipping and project power in regional waters. Naval losses, if confirmed, demonstrate the integrated nature of Epic Fury across domains.
Iran has responded with its own missile and drone launches, which CENTCOM says have numbered more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones since hostilities escalated. The update accuses Iran of indiscriminate targeting of civilians as it fires these systems, asserting the evidence is “crystal clear and overwhelming.” The U.S. assessment is that Iranian effectiveness is declining while American combat power grows stronger in the theater.
“We have severely degraded Iran’s air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers and drones. In simple terms, we’re focused on shooting all the things that can shoot at us.”
Adm. Cooper offered an operational assessment that U.S. forces are ahead of their game plan, saying Iran’s ability to strike U.S. and allied targets is trending downward. He made clear that the mission’s objectives remain focused and that forces will persist in eliminating remaining launch capabilities. The update projects steady pressure and a methodical campaign to remove the means by which Iran threatens Americans and regional partners.
“Iran is indiscriminately targeting civilians as they launch these missiles and drones. The evidence is crystal clear and overwhelming.”
Centcom’s tone throughout the message is direct and resolute, framing Epic Fury as a historic, complex, and professionally executed mission carried out with lethal precision. The campaign’s declared aim is to shrink the target set and continue pressing until Iran’s capacity to launch attacks is gone. U.S. forces, according to the update, will maintain pressure and employ the full range of capabilities required to ensure those objectives are met.
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