The U.S. Military has conducted strikes against more than 2,000 targets in Iran, according to Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, as a joint bombing campaign with Israel continues. The strikes come as Iran has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones, Cooper stated.
In a video statement, Cooper described the first 24 hours of the joint operation as nearly double the scale of the initial “shock and awe” strikes that commenced the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. He characterized the current mission as involving over 50,000 troops, 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers and bombers, representing “the largest build-up by the US in the Middle East in a generation.”
American forces have reportedly sunk the entire Iranian navy, destroying 17 Iranian ships, Cooper said. The current focus, he added, is “on shooting all the things that can shoot at us.” The U.S. And Israel assert they have targeted Iran’s air defenses, as well as hundreds of ballistic missiles, launchers, and drones.
Simultaneously, Israel announced it was carrying out “a broad wave of strikes” on Iran while also attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israeli air defenses have reportedly intercepted additional missiles fired from both Iran and Lebanon, according to the Israeli military.
The conflict follows a Twelve-Day War between Iran and Israel in June 2025, as well as ongoing conflict in the region since 2023. According to a report from June 2025, Israel struck Iran’s presidential office, a covert nuclear compound, and a Revolutionary Guards commander in Tehran, while the U.S. Military targeted command facilities, missile launch sites, and airfields.
Reports indicate 780 people have been killed in Iran since Saturday, according to the Iranian Red Crescent, though Iranian authorities have not commented on the strikes. A drone strike hit a car park adjacent to the U.S. Consulate in Dubai on Tuesday, causing a fire, according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Another drone attack caused a “limited fire” at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi defense ministry.
U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that Iran’s air force and navy have been “knocked out” and that strikes targeted Iranian leadership. Trump has also indicated a goal to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and navy, as well as its support for proxy groups. He has urged Iranians to “capture back your government.”
The U.S. Has closed embassies in three countries and warned Americans to leave the region. The United Arab Emirates has opened safe air corridors with its neighbors as countries attempt to evacuate stranded nationals, with regional travel severely disrupted. The price of gasoline in the U.S. Experienced its largest one-day increase since 2005 as the war threatens the global economy.
Strikes have targeted the Assembly of Experts, a body responsible for electing Iran’s next supreme leader, and a hotel near Beirut, Lebanon, according to recent reports.
