Washington, March 16 The US forces are continuing operations to weaken Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said Monday.
"We will continue to rapidly deplete Iran's ability to threaten the freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz," Cooper said in a video statement posted on X.
However, the Commander gave no details on how the United States would reopen the strait, the critical global energy waterway that Iran has effectively closed.
Cooper said Friday's US strikes on Kharg Island, Iran's oil export hub, destroyed more than 90 military targets, including storage bunkers for naval mines and missiles, Xinhua news agency reported.
In the past 16 days, US forces have carried out more than 6,000 combat missions, destroying over 100 Iranian naval vessels, while Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at targets in about 12 countries across the region, Cooper said.
The United States and Israel launched massive attacks on Iran on February 28, disrupting global shipping and resulting in soaring oil prices and a volatile global economy.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Monday it had destroyed an aircraft used by Iran's top leadership at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport, claiming the strike would hamper coordination between Tehran and its regional allies. Israel also said it carried out strikes on infrastructure in several Iranian cities.
In a statement, the IDF said the plane had served senior political and military figures for both domestic and international travel. The military added that eliminating the aircraft would disrupt communication between Iran's leadership and allied groups across the region, slow Tehran's military buildup, and limit its ability to restore damaged capabilities.
The aircraft was identified as an Airbus A340 previously used to transport senior leaders, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and, in the past, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to diplomatic engagements abroad. Iranian authorities did not immediately confirm the strike, Xinhua news agency reported.
Mehrabad Airport, located in western Tehran, is one of the capital's oldest aviation hubs. While Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport handles most long-haul international flights, Mehrabad remains the country's busiest domestic airport and also hosts military facilities, including units of the Iranian Air Force.
Separately, on Monday, the IDF said it struck targets in the Iranian cities of Tehran, Shiraz, and Tabriz, as the US-Israeli campaign against Iran entered its 17th day.
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