U.S. Strikes Iranian Drone Carrier as Naval Campaign Destroys Over 30 Warships
CENTCOM: "Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire."
MIDDLE EAST — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper announced on March 5 that American forces struck the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri.
The 42,000-ton converted container vessel is now on fire, according to Cooper. “U.S. forces aren’t holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy,”
Cooper stated during a press conference at CENTCOM headquarters. “Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire.”
The strike comes on Day 6 of Operation Epic Fury, which began February 28 with a coordinated U.S.-Israeli campaign targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, nuclear-related sites, and naval forces. Israel’s parallel operation, designated Roaring Lion, has struck over 2,500 targets with more than 6,000 weapons.
In the last 72 hours alone, American bomber crews hit nearly 200 targets deep inside Iran, including positions around Tehran, with B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropping dozens of 2,000-pound penetrator munitions on hardened ballistic missile launchers.
The naval campaign has widened. Cooper reported over 30 Iranian warships sunk or destroyed as of March 5, up from 20 confirmed on March 3 and the initial 9 announced by President Trump on March 1.
All 11 Iranian warships stationed east of the Strait of Hormuz were destroyed within the first 48 hours, according to CENTCOM. Iranian ballistic missile launches have fallen 86% from opening-day levels, and one-way attack drone launches have dropped 73%, according to Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force General Dan Caine.
Casualties have increased on all sides. Six U.S. service members have been killed in action, all at the Shuaiba port facility in Kuwait during an Iranian drone strike. Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported 1,230 killed as of March 5, up from the Iranian Red Crescent’s count of 787 on March 4.
Iranian retaliation under Operation True Promise IV has launched approximately 420 missiles across nine countries, killing civilians in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, and striking U.S. military installations across the Gulf.
