Kamal Ghorui
The United States on Saturday released video footage showing its strikes on Iranian naval vessels, as the conflict across the Middle East continued to widen.Shared by US Central Command (CENTCOM) on X, the footage showed missiles being fired from warships in the region, fighter jets taking off from aircraft carrier decks, and precision strikes on Iranian targets.“For decades, Iranian naval vessels have threatened and harassed global shipping in regional waters, but those days are over,” CENTCOM said.The footage was released days after the United States said it had crossed 10,000 strikes in its ongoing military campaign and that operations were “on plan or ahead of plan”.US Central Command chief Brad Cooper said the operation, now in its fourth week, had overwhelmed Iran’s air defence systems and was producing visible results.“We hit the 10,000th Iranian target just hours ago. And if you combine what we’ve accomplished with the success of our Israeli ally, together we have struck thousands more, clearly demonstrating that we’re stronger together. Our precision strikes have overwhelmed Iranian air defences and our combat flights over Iran are having tangible effects.”Cooper also said the campaign had significantly weakened Iran’s naval capabilities, claiming most of its major warships had been destroyed.“For decades, Iranian warships have roamed regional waters, threatening and harassing global shipping. But those days are over because we’ve now destroyed 92 percent of the Iranian Navy’s largest vessels. They’re not sailing, and my operational assessment is that they’ve now lost the ability to meaningfully project naval power and influence around the region and around the world,” he said.Separately, a US official told Reuters that an Iranian missile and drone strike on the Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia wounded 12 American personnel, including two seriously, and damaged military equipment.The conflict began on February 28 with US and Israeli airstrikes and has since disrupted global energy supplies, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for nearly 20 million barrels of oil per day.Iran’s ability to threaten shipping has also added to volatility in oil and commodity markets.
