Washington, DC [US], March 6 (ANI): The US military struck an Iranian vessel described as a “drone carrier,” which CENTCOM says is now on fire following a maritime engagement.
CENTCOM confirmed the strike on X as the combined US-Israeli offensive against Iran entered its seventh day, stating “US forces aren’t holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy.” The command described the targeted vessel as roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier.
While the exact location of the engagement was not disclosed, CENTCOM released footage showing the ship engulfed in thick smoke after sustaining a direct hit from US forces.
CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the US has struck nearly 200 targets inside Iran over the past 72 hours, substantially degrading Tehran’s missile and drone capabilities. Cooper said the operation, named Operation Epic Fury, focuses on Iranian missile launchers and related infrastructure.
“In just the last 72 hours, America’s bomber force has struck nearly 200 targets deep inside of Iran. In just the last hour, U.S. B-2 Spirit bombers dropped dozens of 2,000 lb penetrator bombs targeting deeply buried ballistic missile launchers,” Cooper said.
He added that these strikes have sharply reduced Iranian retaliatory capabilities: ballistic missile attacks have fallen by 90 percent and drone attacks by 83 percent since the operation began. Cooper also said US forces have destroyed more than 30 ships.
Cooper said the campaign has expanded to target Iran’s long-term missile production capacity on orders from US President Donald Trump. “President Trump gave us another task to raze or level Iran’s ballistic missile industrial base,” Cooper said, adding that the goal is to destroy Iran’s ability to rebuild its missile program.
He also described a program using a captured Iranian drone design, LUCAS, which US forces reverse-engineered and redeployed against Iranian forces. “LUCAS — indispensable… This was an original Iranian drone design. We captured it, pulled the guts out, sent it back to America, put a little ‘Made in America’ on it, brought it back here, and we’re shooting it at the Iranians,” Cooper said.
The remarks come amid rising tensions after a joint US-Israel strike on February 28 that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, prompting fierce Iranian retaliation. Iran has launched waves of drone and missile attacks targeting American bases across multiple Arab countries as the conflict continues. Israel has also continued strikes on Tehran and widened operations into Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah. (ANI)
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