NEW: Iran’s Defense Crumbling Fast As US Decimates Regime’s Navy, Air Force

U.S. Central Command has struck more than 2,000 Iranian targets under Operation Epic Fury, sharply degrading Tehran’s ability to fire ballistic missiles and launch drones as American forces expand the campaign deeper into Iranian territory, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said Wednesday.

US Central Command is making “steady progress,” Caine told reporters at the Pentagon, describing a rapid collapse in Iran’s ability to sustain attacks as its infrastructure and launch capacity are torn apart.

“Iran’s theater ballistic missile shots fired are down 86% from the first day of fighting, with a 23% decrease in the last 24 hours,” Caine said, adding that Iran’s “one-way attack drone shots are down 73% from the opening days.”

Caine said CENTCOM began by establishing “localized air superiority across the southern flank of Iran’s coast,” then punched through Iranian defenses with what he described as overwhelming force. The next phase, he said, is already underway.

CENTCOM “penetrated their defenses with overwhelming precision and firepower, and will now expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory – creating additional freedom of maneuver for US forces,” Caine stated.

The Pentagon has framed the campaign as a deliberate effort to break Iran’s ability to wage war across the region, not just by hitting launchers, but by destroying the networks that keep the regime’s military machine operating.

U.S. officials say the early phase focused on air defenses and coastal infrastructure to open corridors for sustained strikes. That has allowed American and allied forces to operate with greater freedom while hunting missile and drone assets that Iran has relied on for years to threaten U.S. forces, Israel and key shipping lanes.

The damage to Iran’s forces is not limited to missile and drone counts. U.S. officials have also described major blows to Iran’s navy and air defenses, as the campaign increasingly targets the regime’s ability to move weapons, patrol strategic waters and protect its own skies.

The reduced missile and drone fire has been one of the clearest indicators, according to Caine, that Iran’s capacity is being strangled. While Iran continues to attempt retaliation, the volume has dropped sharply from the opening days of the conflict, a sign U.S. commanders say reflects a shrinking stockpile, fewer operational launch points and mounting disruption to command systems.

Caine’s remarks also signaled that the operation is moving beyond the coastline and into the heart of Iran, a shift that could intensify pressure on remaining military hubs, production sites and leadership-linked infrastructure.

For supporters of the campaign, the trend lines are exactly what they want to see: fewer launches, weaker defenses and a regime losing its ability to project power.

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