Iclal Turan
06 March 2026•Update: 06 March 2026
WASHINGTON
US B-2 bombers dropped dozens of 2,000-pound penetrator bombs targeting deeply buried Iranian ballistic missile launchers, US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said Thursday.
Cooper also said during a Pentagon press conference that US bomber forces have struck nearly 200 targets across Iran over the past 72 hours, including sites around the capital Tehran.
He added that US operations against Iranian naval forces have also intensified.
“You may have heard the president say just a little while ago that we have sunk 24 ships. That was true at the moment. We’re now up over 30 ships,” he said.
Cooper said Iranian attacks have declined significantly since the start of the operation, with ballistic missile attacks down 90% and drone attacks down 83%.
Tensions have surged in the Middle East after the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran starting Feb. 28 that have since killed over 900 people, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and at least 165 schoolgirls.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting US-linked sites in Gulf countries.
Over the weekend, an drone strike in Kuwait killed six US service members at a tactical operations center.
