US says over 7,000 targets hit in Iran as campaign intensifies
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that American forces had struck more than 7,000 targets across Iran and its military infrastructure.
“To date, we’ve struck over 7,000 targets… that is overwhelming force applied with precision,” Hegseth said, adding that a new wave of strikes would be “the largest strike package yet.”
He said Iran’s military capabilities were being degraded, with air defenses “flattened” and missile and drone production severely reduced.
“Iran’s defense industrial base… is being overwhelmingly destroyed,” he said, adding that ballistic missile and drone attacks were down about 90% since the start of the conflict.
Hegseth said more than 120 Iranian naval vessels had been damaged or sunk and that Iran’s surface fleet was “no longer a factor.”
He said the campaign’s objectives remain unchanged, including destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, defense industry and ensuring it does not obtain a nuclear weapon.
