Weekend Recap: Week Three of Operation Epic Fury
By Sammy,
Three weeks into the conflict, the White House says the campaign is on track, with the Pentagon having originally projected a 4-6 week timeline. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declared that Iran's combat capacity is being steadily eroded, while CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper reported that American forces have now hit over 8,000 military targets inside Iran - including 130 naval vessels, which he described as the biggest destruction of a navy in a single conflict since World War II. Cooper added that Iranian missile and drone launches have dropped significantly from their early-war pace, saying Iran's tactical fighters are no longer flying, their navy is not sailing, and their ability to launch missiles and drones at the rates seen at the start of the conflict has been severely curtailed. He also noted that the US has built what he described as the most extensive air defense umbrella ever assembled over the Middle East.
US Expands War Aims
In a Truth Social post, President Trump laid out a broader set of military objectives than officials had previously stated publicly. Beyond dismantling Iran's missile program and ending its nuclear ambitions, Trump's list now includes eliminating Iran's entire air force, destroying its defense industrial base, and guaranteeing the protection of Gulf allies including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait. On the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said other nations who rely on the waterway would need to police it themselves once the Iranian threat is gone, though Washington would assist if asked. NATO countries have largely resisted Trump's calls to help secure the strait, saying they are willing to contribute but not in the middle of an active war they did not start - and not after a year of friction with Washington over Ukraine and Greenland.
Natanz Struck Again
American forces hit the Natanz uranium-enrichment facility using heavy bunker-busting munitions - the same type of GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs used against Natanz and the Fordo facility during Israel's 12-day war with Iran last June. The IDF clarified it played no role in today's Natanz strike. The IAEA confirmed it had been informed of the attack, repeated its call for military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident, and said no increase in off-site radiation levels had been detected. Iranian state media had initially reported the strike as a joint US-Israel operation. Israeli jets did separately strike dozens of ballistic missile-related targets in and around Tehran overnight, hitting an IRGC complex used to manufacture missile components, a missile component storage facility, a defense ministry complex producing missile fuel, another ballistic missile factory, and several air defense systems in the Tehran area.
Cooper: Underground Missile Bunker Destroyed
CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper gave a separate update describing a strike earlier in the week on a hardened underground facility along Iran's coastline, where the IRGC had been covertly stockpiling anti-ship cruise missiles, mobile missile launchers, and associated equipment. Multiple 5,000-pound bombs were used to destroy the facility. Cooper said US forces also took out intelligence support sites and missile radar relays used to monitor ship movements in the area, further degrading Iran's ability to threaten navigation in and around the strait.
Britain Opens Its Bases
Following a ministerial meeting in London, Downing Street confirmed that British authorization for US forces to use UK military bases now explicitly covers strikes on Iranian missile infrastructure being used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement came after Iran had already attempted to strike the joint UK-US base at Diego Garcia - before, not after, the UK's expanded authorization was made public.
Iran Targets Diego Garcia - and Misses
In one of the most significant escalations of the week, Iran launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward the joint UK-US base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, approximately 4,000 kilometers from Iranian territory. One missile failed mid-flight; a US warship fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other, though whether the intercept fully succeeded could not be confirmed. A UK official subsequently confirmed the attack was unsuccessful. The strike attempt is highly significant because Iran's foreign minister had previously stated that Tehran voluntarily limits its ballistic missile range to 2,000 kilometers. Defense analysts suggested Iran may have used its Simorgh space launch vehicle to achieve the extended range, likely at the cost of terminal accuracy. One retired Royal Navy commodore noted that any nation with a space program effectively has a ballistic missile program, and suggested the launches were likely a show of defiance in response to US claims that Iran's military has been largely destroyed.
Kharg Island Threat
The White House said US forces could strike Iran's Kharg Island oil hub at any time if the president gave the order, responding to an Axios report that the Trump administration was weighing a potential occupation or blockade of the facility to pressure Tehran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The White House credited detailed advance planning for keeping all options available, and noted that over 40 Iranian minelaying vessels have already been destroyed since the war began.
Ground Invasion Planning Underway
US military planners have drawn up detailed options for a potential ground operation inside Iran, according to multiple sources briefed on the discussions. Planning has also reportedly included how to manage the potential detention of Iranian military forces in the event Washington decides on an invasion, though no such decision has been announced.
Iran Strikes Israel and the Region
Iranian ballistic and drone attacks continued throughout the week on multiple fronts. A cluster munition warhead struck the Israeli city of Rishon Lezion, scattering bomblets that left craters across several sites and damaged an empty daycare. Education Minister Yoav Kisch visited the scene and ordered the cancellation of Passover holiday programs across 18 municipalities in central Israel. In Jerusalem, an Iranian missile was intercepted over the Old City, but a fragment - appearing from photographic evidence to be an intact warhead - came down in a parking lot in the Jewish Quarter, roughly a quarter mile from both the Western Wall and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount. An Israeli Air Force jet was also fired upon by a surface-to-air missile during a mission over Iran, though the crew followed standard procedures and completed the mission without damage to the aircraft. Hezbollah, which entered the conflict on March 2 following the killing of Supreme Leader Khamenei, struck both Safed and Metula in northern Israel, causing property damage but no reported injuries. Jordan reported that a total of 240 missiles and drones have been fired at the kingdom since the war began on February 28, with 222 intercepted and 18 getting through. Thirty-six projectiles were fired at Jordan in the past week alone. The kingdom has recorded no deaths, with 29 injuries reported, all of whom have since been discharged from hospital. Defense Minister Israel Katz meanwhile said strikes on Iran would intensify significantly in the coming week, with the IDF and US military set to escalate operations against Iranian commanders and strategic infrastructure.
Baghdad Airport Attacked
At least three drone strikes targeted a US diplomatic and logistics hub housing American military personnel at Baghdad International Airport. A fire broke out near the base following the third attack.
Bahrain Civilian Injuries
Bahrain confirmed that a Patriot air defense battery intercepted an Iranian drone over a residential neighborhood on March 9, preventing a direct strike but causing civilian injuries on the ground from the intercept. Bahrain said the interception nonetheless saved lives. The US military had previously acknowledged that an Iranian drone struck a residential area in Bahrain on that date.
Diplomacy and Oil
The US Treasury temporarily lifted sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded onto vessels before March 20, authorizing its delivery and sale through April 19 in a bid to ease a global supply crunch driven by the Strait's closure. The exemption does not apply to deliveries bound for Cuba, North Korea, or Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory - mirroring a similar recent carve-out applied to Russian oil at sea. Iran separately signaled it was open to allowing Japanese-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, with Foreign Minister Araghchi confirming talks with Tokyo were underway. Japan relies on the Middle East for around 95 percent of its oil and routes roughly 90 percent of those shipments through the strait, and has already begun releasing oil from its strategic reserves. More than 20 countries - mostly European but including the UAE and Bahrain - issued a joint statement condemning Iran's closure of the strait and attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and declared their readiness to contribute to efforts to restore safe passage. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun proposed direct negotiations with Israel on March 9 to end the Hezbollah front of the war, but Israel has since indicated no such talks are planned. The US ambassador to Lebanon welcomed the proposal, while acknowledging Israel had not yet agreed to engage.
Regional and Global Reactions
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Iranian President Pezeshkian, condemning attacks on critical infrastructure across the region and stressing the importance of keeping international shipping lanes open and secure. Modi also expressed appreciation for Iran's continued protection of Indian nationals on Iranian soil. UN Secretary General António Guterres said he is actively cooperating with Trump's Board of Peace on Gaza reconstruction, welcoming its aims of rebuilding Palestinian homes and infrastructure and noting the objectives had been approved by the Security Council. However, he cautioned that beyond those specific goals, the broader initiative amounts to a personal project under Trump's full control, and insisted that respect for international law and the UN Charter must underpin any credible peace effort. Iranian President Pezeshkian, in an Eid al-Fitr address marking the end of Ramadan, appealed for Muslim unity, insisting Iran has no dispute with its neighbors and warning that only Israel stands to gain from divisions within the Islamic world - a message that came even as Iranian strikes continued to hit Gulf states throughout the week.
Topics: Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon & Hezbollah
Reported by Sammy for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.