New Delhi, Updated At : 09:41 AM Mar 03, 2026 IST
The US deployed its most advanced military assets in an operation against Iran, marking the largest regional concentration of American firepower in years, CENTCOM said. The mission, launched on Saturday, involved B-2 stealth bombers, F-18 and F-16 fighters, and fifth-generation aircraft including the F-22 and F-35.
Interceptor and anti-ballistic missile systems were positioned, alongside surveillance platforms such as the P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and MQ-9 drones. US forces operated from two nuclear-powered carriers — the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln. CENTCOM said the operation aimed to “dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritising locations that posed an imminent threat.”
Targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command-and-control facilities, Iranian air-defence systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields. CENTCOM said US forces successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.
In the opening hours, precision munitions were launched from air, land and sea. A CENTCOM task force named “Scorpion Strike” deployed low-cost, one-way attack drones in combat for the first time. “These low-cost drones, modelled after Iran’s Shahed drones, are now delivering American-made retribution,” CENTCOM said.
The US also struck an Iranian Jamaran-class corvette, which it said was sinking in the Gulf of Oman at a Chabahar pier.
Washington confirmed four US service members were killed in action and five were seriously wounded during Operation Epic Fury. It rejected Iran’s claim that ballistic missiles struck USS Abraham Lincoln, saying “The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t even come close.”
The US has been Israel’s primary military benefactor, providing over $158 billion in inflation-adjusted assistance since World War II, underpinning Israel’s “Qualitative Military Edge” in the region. A 2016 US memorandum guarantees $3.8 billion annually in military aid to Israel through 2028. The US supplies advanced weaponry, including F-35 fighters and substantial funding for the Iron Dome missile-defence system; since 2008 US law has required preserving Israel’s military superiority in the region.
