US claims destruction of 17 Iranian warships, including submarine

The United States has claimed it destroyed 17 Iranian warships, including a submarine, during a continuous four-day military operation across the Arabian Sea, Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman, reports CNN.

Admiral Brad Cooper, spokesperson for the US Central Command (CENTCOM), confirmed the strikes in a post on social media platform X.

“Simply put, we targeted the assets from which we could be threatened,” he said.

According to Cooper, B‑1 and B‑2 bombers carried out the missions, eliminating an Iranian naval submarine along with a total of 17 warships.

Cooper added that Iran had harassed commercial shipping in these strategic waterways for decades, but asserted that no Iranian vessels remain in the area following the operation.

The strikes follow the launch of separate military operations by Israel and the US on February 28, named “Operation Roaring Lion” and “Operation Epic Fury,” respectively.

US defense officials say the campaign has involved over 50,000 troops and more than 200 combat aircraft.

Over the past four days, the US Air Force has reportedly targeted over 2,000 Iranian assets, Cooper said.

No immediate response has been received from Iranian authorities regarding these claims.