Top US general: Iran missile launches down 86% from first day of conflict

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine describes a significant decline in Iranian missile and drone launches since the start of Operation Epic Fury during a press conference at the Pentagon alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

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

Caine says the three military goals of the operation are currently to neutralize Iran’s ballistic missile threat, degrade or destroy the Iranian navy, and prevent Iran from quickly rebuilding its military capabilities.

The general says the US has struck more than 2,000 targets during the campaign, and that over 20 Iranian naval vessels have been destroyed, largely neutralizing Iran’s main naval presence in the theater.

“This progress has allowed CENTCOM to establish localized air superiority across the Southern flank of the Iranian Coast,” he continues, saying, “We will now begin to expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory,” adding that the military is transitioning from long-range strikes to closer-range precision strikes.

Caine stresses that the US military has enough precision munitions to sustain the operation, but says he will not disclose quantities for security reasons.