The U.S. claims to have destroyed 17 ships and 100 Iranian ballistic missiles.

The United States Armed Forces have destroyed 17 Iranian ships in their campaign against Iran, which involves tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel, said the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East in a video released this Tuesday. "In simple terms, we focus on taking down anything that can shoot at us," said Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, in the message posted on X, detailing "unopposed surgical strikes" carried out by B-2 and B-1 bombers. "We are also sinking the Iranian Navy, the entire Navy," he added. "So far, we have destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including the most operational Iranian submarine, which now has a hole in its side."

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"For decades, the Iranian regime has harassed international maritime transport. Today, there isn't a single Iranian ship sailing in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, or the Gulf of Oman," Cooper said. "And we are not going to stop." Cooper's comments come four days after the start of the US military operation against Iran, called Operation Epic Fury. Defense Department officials have said that destroying the Iranian Navy is one of the main objectives of the operation. There are more than 50,000 U.S. military personnel and more than 200 fighter jets involved in the mission, Cooper said, and the attacks continue 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In retaliation for the bombings by the United States and Israel, Iran has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones, Cooper said. Even so, he stated that Tehran's "ability to hit us is diminishing."