US Navy sinks over 30 Iranian ships amid escalating conflict
The US Navy announces it has sunk more than 30 Iranian vessels, including a massive drone carrier, as the Middle East conflict dramatically escalates.
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By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press
WASHINGTON, USA — The United States Navy has announced the sinking of more than 30 Iranian vessels to date, including an Iranian drone carrier that was struck at sea on Thursday night.
The unprecedented naval engagements come as the Middle East plunges further into regional war, with the US and Israel launching widespread, coordinated attacks against Iranian military assets and leadership.
Heavy blows to Iranian naval and space assets
US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated that the Iranian drone carrier hit at sea was "roughly the size of a World War II-era aircraft carrier" and noted that it was actively burning. The vessel, identified as the IRIS Shahid Bagheri, is a converted container ship equipped with a 180-meter runway for drone operations and is capable of traveling up to 22,000 nautical miles without refueling.
Admiral Cooper also revealed that early Friday morning, B-2 stealth bombers dropped dozens of 2,000-pound bunker-buster munitions on deeply buried ballistic missile launchers inside Iran. "In an effort to degrade Iran's capacity to pose a threat to the US, we also targeted the equivalent of their Space Command," Cooper told reporters. CENTCOM later released black-and-white aerial footage showing the targeted ship burning at sea.
Tehran condemns "atrocity at sea"
While the Iranian military did not immediately confirm all the strikes, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi strongly condemned the US Navy's sinking of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, calling it an "atrocity committed at sea". Reports indicate that at least 87 crew members lost their lives in the attack on the frigate. Sri Lankan officials announced the successful rescue of 32 crew members from the vessel, which was reportedly returning from a joint naval drill hosted by the Indian Navy that also included US participation.
Speaking alongside Admiral Cooper in Washington, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a stark warning that attacks on Iran will "significantly increase in the coming period". Hegseth promised the deployment of more fighter squadrons, bombers, and defensive capabilities, warning that strikes will happen more frequently.
Israel launches massive wave of attacks
Simultaneously, the Israeli military announced early Friday that it had initiated a "large-scale wave of attacks" targeting the Iranian capital, Tehran. Witnesses reported particularly intense airstrikes that shook residential areas, while explosions were also heard in Kermanshah, a city known to house numerous missile bases. The Israeli military claims these strikes successfully destroyed the majority of Iran's air defense systems and missile launchers.
The conflict has now engulfed multiple nations across the Middle East and beyond. Early Friday morning, Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes against US military bases located in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. Initial assessments reported no casualties at these installations.
Meanwhile, the war in Lebanon flared up again, with Israel conducting heavy airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and other areas from Thursday night into Friday, forcing many residents to flee and seek shelter. According to officials from Iran, Lebanon, and Israel, the escalating violence has so far claimed the lives of at least 1,230 people in Iran, over 120 in Lebanon, more than a dozen in Israel, and six US soldiers.
