US hits 8,000 targets, unleashes 5,000-pound bombs on Iran

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

U.S. Central Command has said American forces have struck more than 8,000 military targets in Iran, deploying heavy 5,000-pound bombs in a sustained campaign aimed at crippling Tehran’s military capabilities and securing key international shipping routes.

Commander of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, disclosed this in his latest operational update on Operation Epic Fury on Saturday, stating that the strikes were part of an intensified offensive designed to dismantle Iran’s ability to project power beyond its borders.

Cooper said that within three weeks of combat operations, U.S. forces had executed over 8,000 combat sorties and hit a wide range of strategic targets, including 130 Iranian vessels.

He described the campaign as one of the most extensive modern military offensives, noting that it had led to the “largest elimination of a navy in a three-week period since World War II.”

He further revealed that American forces recently deployed multiple 5,000-pound bombs against a fortified underground military facility along Iran’s coastline.

According to him, the site was used to store anti-ship cruise missiles, mobile launch systems and surveillance equipment used to track maritime activity.

He said the destruction of the facility, alongside associated intelligence and radar installations, has significantly weakened Iran’s capacity to threaten commercial shipping, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil transit route.

Cooper stated that the sustained bombardment had also degraded Iran’s broader combat capability, with thousands of missiles and advanced drones destroyed.

He added that Iranian naval operations had effectively ceased, while its tactical air fleet had been grounded.

He maintained that U.S. forces continued to hold air superiority, with fighter jets and bombers carrying out precision strikes, while aerial refuelling operations ensured continuous pressure on Iranian targets.

“Our operational assessment remains clear: Iran’s combat capability is in steady decline, even as our offensive strikes ramp up,” Cooper said.

He added that the United States, working with regional allies, had established what he described as the most extensive air defence umbrella in the Middle East, capable of countering Iranian missile and drone attacks.

The CENTCOM commander reaffirmed that operations would continue, with a focus on neutralising threats to freedom of navigation and maintaining security in the Gulf region.