Pentagon Says Over 2,000 Targets Hit, 6 U.S. Troops Killed as U.S. Submarine Torpedo Sinks Iranian Warship in Epic Fury Campaign

📌 Key Facts

• The United States and Israel launched a sustained joint campaign called Operation Epic Fury against Iran in late February/early March 2026; U.S. Central Command and Adm. Brad Cooper say more than 2,000 Iranian targets have been struck, including IRGC and internal security headquarters, air defenses, ballistic‑missile sites, missile launchers, drones and naval vessels.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other U.S. officials confirmed that a U.S. submarine torpedoed and sank the Iranian warship Soleimani in the Persian Gulf — described by Hegseth as the first U.S. torpedo sinking of an enemy ship since World War II — and CENTCOM says 17 Iranian ships have been destroyed and Iran’s navy is now 'combat ineffective.'
• U.S. combat fatalities have been publicly acknowledged (official briefings and a U.S. official reported six U.S. service members killed and about 10 seriously wounded); Iranian and other casualty claims are far higher and contested — Iran and some organizations report large civilian tolls (including claims of an elementary school strike killing many students), Israel and the U.S. deny some of those specific allegations and investigations are under way.
• CENTCOM reports Iran has retaliated with mass strikes — more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones — and the war has spread across the region, touching at least 11 countries (including Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq’s Kurdish region and Lebanon); Iran has effectively threatened the Strait of Hormuz and tanker traffic has been severely disrupted, contributing to energy‑market and economic effects.
• U.S. posture in the region has surged to roughly 50,000 troops, about 200 fighter jets and two aircraft carriers with additional capabilities en route; the campaign has drawn heavily on strike and missile‑defense inventories (Tomahawks, B‑2s, attack drones, ship‑based interceptors and THAAD have been used or highlighted), prompting concern about stockpile depletion even as Pentagon officials insist they have the resources needed.
• President Trump and senior administration officials have framed the operation as aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and degrading offensive missile and naval capabilities; Trump publicly said the campaign could last 'four to five weeks' if needed and vowed it will continue 'until all of our objectives are achieved,' while Defense Secretary Hegseth outlined three objectives: destroy offensive missile capabilities, cripple Iran’s navy and prevent a nuclear weapon.
• The strikes were ordered without prior congressional authorization, renewing war‑powers and legal debates on Capitol Hill; senators and lawmakers from both parties have expressed fears of escalation (including a possible ground invasion) and demanded greater public accountability, while some U.S. allies (for example Spain) have refused to support use of their bases and domestic and international political reactions have been sharply divided.

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