The United States military has launched a decisive strike against Iran’s largest naval vessel, the Shahid Bagheri, in response to the commencement of an operation dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” initiated under the Trump administration. US Central Command has called out Iranian leadership for misleading claims that they had successfully sunk an American aircraft carrier in the Gulf. Instead, it was the Iranian drone carrier, the Shahid Bagheri, that was targeted by US forces shortly after Operation Epic Fury began.

Tehran had reportedly been using the Shahid Bagheri as a base for drone assaults on US military installations and allies in the Gulf, following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since the conflict began, US military forces have already sunk 11 Iranian naval ships in the Gulf of Oman. The full extent of the damage to the Shahid Bagheri is not yet known, but this strike significantly diminishes Iran’s naval capabilities, compounded by continued pressure from both US and Israeli forces.

Contrary to Iranian claims that hundreds of US troops have perished in retaliatory attacks, US Central Command has confirmed that four service members have died, with 18 others sustaining injuries from Iranian strikes. President Trump has cautioned the American public to prepare for additional hostilities, indicating in an interview with the Daily Mail that the conflict could endure for approximately four weeks. “It’s always been about a four-week process,” Trump explained, acknowledging the challenges posed by Iran’s substantial size.

Pentagon leaders said on Monday morning that the weekend operation against Iran started with an unprecedented 100-aircraft ‘wave’ was unleashed by land and sea. Meanwhile, three F-15 fighter jets being shot down by Kuwait in a friendly fire incident on Monday morning. Footage in Kuwait captured the moment the $90million US planes fell from the sky in a cloud of smoke. Kuwait’s Defence Ministry said crews are safe after the crashes this morning, which saw at least two pilots eject from their planes near a US military base in Kuwait.

A US Central Command (CENTCOM) official confirmed that American military aircraft were ‘downed’ in Kuwait on Monday morning, as an Iraqi pro-militia outlet shared footage of a US pilot after ejecting from his aircraft in Kuwait City. A clear timetable for ending the war has not been outlined by the Trump administration.