New Delhi, Updated At: 09:41 AM Mar 03, 2026 IST
The US used its most advanced military assets in a large-scale operation against Iran, CENTCOM said, describing the deployment as the largest concentration of American firepower in the region in years. The operation, launched on Saturday, included long-range platforms such as B-2 stealth bombers, F/A-18 and F-16 fighters, and fifth-generation aircraft including the F-22 and F-35.
Defensive and surveillance systems were also employed. Interceptor and anti-ballistic missile batteries were positioned, and maritime and aerial reconnaissance platforms such as the P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and MQ-9 drones supported the mission. US forces operated from two nuclear-powered carriers, the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln.
CENTCOM said the objective was to “dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritising locations that posed an imminent threat.” Named targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command-and-control facilities, Iranian air-defence sites, missile and drone launch locations, and military airfields. CENTCOM reported that US forces successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks during the operation.
In the opening hours, precision munitions were launched from air, land and sea. A CENTCOM task force called “Scorpion Strike” employed low-cost, one-way attack drones in combat for the first time. CENTCOM said these drones, modelled after Iran’s Shahed systems, were used to deliver “American-made retribution.” The US also struck an Iranian Jamaran-class corvette; CENTCOM said the vessel was sinking at a Chabahar pier in the Gulf of Oman.
Washington confirmed four US service members were killed in action and five were seriously wounded during what it called Operation Epic Fury. The US rejected Iranian claims that ballistic missiles struck the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying, “The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t even come close.”
The operation comes against a backdrop of long-standing US military support for Israel. The US has been Israel’s primary military benefactor, providing more than $158 billion in inflation-adjusted assistance since World War II, CENTCOM noted. A 2016 US memorandum guarantees $3.8 billion annually in military aid to Israel through 2028. The US supplies advanced weapons, including F-35 fighters, and has provided substantial funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defence system; US law since 2008 has required preserving Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region.
