Washington, DC [US], March 31 (ANI): US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said on Tuesday that Washington continues to systematically degrade and destroy Tehran’s ability to project power and threaten stability beyond its borders.
With the conflict in West Asia now in its second month, he said the US has struck more than 11,000 targets in Iran.
Gen. Caine made the remarks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday, alongside US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, providing operational updates on “Epic Fury.” He said the joint force continues to target and destroy Iran’s ballistic missile and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) capabilities.
Noting that US forces are striking key Iranian manufacturing nodes, component storage sites, and research facilities, he said, “Over the past 30 days, we’ve struck more than 11,000 targets.”
Gen. Caine added that the US continues to assert dominance over the Iranian navy, targeting mine-laying capabilities and naval assets.
“We’ve taken out more than 150 ships, including all Jamaran-class frigates in their navy. We continue to prosecute our campaign against their defense industrial base at scale. This includes factories, warehouses, nuclear weapons R&D labs, and the associated infrastructure required for Iran to reconstitute its combat capability,” he said.
“We remain focused on interdicting and destroying the logistical and supply chains that feed these programs,” he added, noting that operations continue around the clock across air, sea, land, space, and cyberspace.
He also suggested that Iran may be approaching a diplomatic inflection point. Responding to a media query, Gen. Caine said, “Iran should note—they are at a pressure point. They should carefully consider, at the diplomatic level, what is in front of them.”
Speaking at the briefing, Hegseth said the coming days would be decisive and asserted that Iran can do “nothing about it militarily.”
The developments come amid escalating tensions following the conflict that began on February 28 with the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint military strikes by the United States and Israel.
In retaliation, Iran has targeted Israeli and US assets across several Gulf countries and Israel, disrupting key waterways and impacting international energy markets and global economic stability. Strikes have affected civilian, military, and energy infrastructure across West Asia and the Gulf region.
The latest briefing follows the previous public update by Gen. Caine and Hegseth on March 19 regarding the ongoing conflict in West Asia. (ANI)
About The Author
