Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said the US-led campaign against Iran is making “steady progress,” four days after the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, Caine said the operation is aimed at dismantling Iran’s ability to project military power beyond its borders.
US honors fallen service members
Caine began by naming four US service members killed during the conflict: Captain Cody Cork, Sergeant First Class Noah Tejans, Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor and Sergeant Declan Cody, all from the 103rd Sustainment Command of the US Army Reserve in Des Moines, Iowa.
Two additional names are being withheld pending notification of their families.
“To the families of our fallen, we grieve with you today,” Caine said.
US military graphic map showing locations of operations and strikes in Iran during the ongoing conflict.
Iran missile and drone launches sharply reduced
Caine said Iranian missile and drone launches had fallen sharply since the start of the conflict.
“Iran’s theater ballistic missile shots fired are down 86% from the first day of fighting, with a 23% decrease just in the last 24 hours,” he said.
He added that Iran’s one-way attack drone launches have dropped by 73% from the opening days of the campaign.
US gaining air superiority
According to Caine, US Central Command has established localized air superiority along Iran’s southern coast and is now expanding operations deeper into Iranian territory.
“We will now begin to expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory,” he said.
The campaign is shifting from long-range stand-off weapons to “stand-in precision strikes” using munitions such as GPS-guided JDAM bombs and Hellfire missiles.
More than 2,000 targets struck
Caine said US forces had struck more than 2,000 targets so far during the campaign.
He said more than 20 Iranian naval vessels had been destroyed, including a submarine, significantly degrading Iran’s naval presence in the region.
US submarine sinks Iranian warship
Caine confirmed that a US Navy submarine sank an Iranian warship with a Mark 48 torpedo.
He described it as the first time since World War Two that a US submarine had sunk an enemy combatant ship using a torpedo.
“This is an incredible demonstration of America’s global reach to hunt, find and kill,” he said.
Regional allies intercept Iranian attacks
Caine said several US partners in the region had intercepted Iranian missiles and drones.
Jordan shot down drones headed for Amman, Bahrain intercepted a drone targeting maritime infrastructure, Saudi Patriot batteries stopped ballistic missiles aimed at energy facilities, and the UAE neutralized drones targeting Abu Dhabi.
Qatar, he added, shot down two Iranian bombers approaching its territory.
Caine said US forces would continue strikes over the next 24 to 48 hours while assessing damage and targeting missile launchers and drone capabilities.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the United States is “winning decisively, devastatingly and without mercy” in the military campaign against Iran, four days after the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth said the operation was ordered by President Donald Trump early Saturday and that additional US forces were still arriving.
US and Israel to control Iranian skies within a week
Hegseth said the US and Israeli air forces were moving to gain “complete control of Iranian skies” within days.
“In under a week, the two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete control of Iranian skies, uncontested airspace,” he said.
He said that would allow US and Israeli forces to fly “all day, all night” over Iran to strike missile infrastructure, military industry and leadership targets.
US aircraft including B-2, B-52 and B-1 bombers, drones and fighter jets were involved in the campaign, he said.
US to intensify strikes with precision bombs
Hegseth said that with airspace dominance, US forces would increasingly use GPS- and laser-guided bombs.
“We will be using 500-pound, 1,000-pound and 2,000-pound precision gravity bombs, of which we have a nearly unlimited stockpile,” he said.
He added that US rules of engagement were designed to “unleash American power.”
Iran’s military capabilities 'evaporating'
Hegseth said Iranian forces had been severely degraded.
“The Iranian air force is no more,” he said, adding that the Iranian navy had been destroyed and that Iran’s ability to fire missiles had sharply declined.
“Iran’s capabilities are evaporating by the hour,” he said.
US submarine sinks Iranian warship
Hegseth also said an American submarine had sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean.
“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” he said, adding the ship was destroyed by torpedo.
Iran leadership 'dead or in hiding'
The defense secretary said many senior Iranian leaders had been killed or forced into hiding.
“Iran’s senior leaders are dead… missing or cowering in bunkers, too terrified to even occupy the same room,” he said.
US says campaign will continue
Hegseth said the US objective was to destroy Iran’s missile and drone capabilities, dismantle its military infrastructure and ensure Tehran never obtains nuclear weapons.
“Iran will never possess a nuclear bomb — not on our watch,” he said.
Israel’s economy could suffer losses of more than 9 billion shekels ($2.93 billion) a week from the ongoing war with Iran, the country’s Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.
The ministry estimated that under the Home Front Command’s current “red” restrictions, weekly economic damage could reach 9.4 billion shekels ($3.06 billion).
The measures include limits on travel to workplaces, school closures and the mobilization of military reservists, disrupting activity across the country.
Iran’s internet blackout has passed 100 hours, with national connectivity flatlining at about 1% of ordinary levels, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said on Wednesday.
“The regime-imposed blackout is the second this year and follows the shutdown in January when thousands were killed,” NetBlocks said.
Israel’s military spokesperson said on Wednesday that Israel’s strikes on Iran are directed at the country’s authorities rather than its people, urging civilians to stay away from military facilities.
In a video message addressed to Iranians, the spokesperson said Israel respected Iran’s long history and that recent tensions were tied to the policies of the Islamic Republic. “You cannot erase 2,500 years of magnificent history with 47 years of darkness,” he said.
He added that Israel was determined to continue its attacks until what he described as the threat posed by Iran’s authorities is removed.
The spokesperson also called on Iranian citizens to distance themselves from military installations for their safety as strikes continue.
