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Video: Iran drone carrier on fire amid US attacks on navy; CENTCOM sends stern warning
The US military struck an Iranian drone carrier on Thursday, setting the ship on fire
The US military struck an Iranian drone carrier on Thursday, setting the ship on fire, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed. This comes as the American forces are continuing to attack Iran's navy. Adm. Brad Cooper, during a press conference, said that the vessel was roughly the size of a World War II “aircraft carrier” and “as we speak, it’s on fire.”
CENTCOM posted the video of the attack on social media, with a warning. “US forces aren't holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy. Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire,” the post on X, platform formerly known as Twitter, read.
US' next action in Iran
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the US was not expanding its military objectives in Iran, after President Donald Trump told Reuters the United States must be involved in choosing the next leader of Iran.
The Pentagon earlier this week said the military campaign, known as Operation Epic Fury, is focused on destroying Iran's offensive missiles, missile production and navy, while not allowing Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.
"There's no expansion in our objectives. We know exactly what we're trying to achieve," Hegseth said.
He added that Trump was "having a heck of a say in who runs Iran given the ongoing operation."
2000 targets hit
The US has already hit more than 2,000 targets in Iran, including warships. CENTCOM head Cooper said US forces had destroyed 30 Iranian warships.
"As we transition to the next phase of this operation, we will systematically dismantle Iran's missile production capability for the future, and that's absolutely in progress," Cooper said, adding that it would take some time.
The US military has identified the six US Army Reserve soldiers killed when a drone slammed into a US military facility in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.
Trump and other senior officials have warned that the Iran conflict will result in more US military deaths.
Hegseth, during the press conference, said Iran was making a mistake if it believed that the United States could not sustain the ongoing war, adding that Washington had just begun to fight.
"Iran is hoping that we cannot sustain this, which is a really bad miscalculation," Hegseth said. "We set the timeline."
(With inputs from Reuters)
