US Central Command reports destroying thousands of targets, including 16 minelayer vessels, in ongoing operations against Iran. Meanwhile, CENTCOM issued urgent warnings for civilians to evacuate Iranian military-used ports and confirmed the loss of a KC-135 aircraft over Iraq.
US forces have heavily intensified their military campaign against Iran, with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reporting the systematic destruction of Iranian naval assets. According to Iran International—a foreign-based opposition network known for its strong anti-Islamic Republic stance—CENTCOM forces destroyed 16 minelayer vessels belonging to the Islamic Republic near the Strait of Hormuz to secure shipping lanes. The network added that CENTCOM has struck over 6,000 targets since operations began, sinking nearly 90 ships and 30 minelayer vessels. US President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned the Islamic Republic on Tuesday against taking the Strait of Hormuz hostage. Breaking news channel اخبارفوری خبرفوری جنگ امریکا فوری also confirmed the destruction of the 16 minelayers in the strait.
As strikes continue, CENTCOM's Farsi account issued urgent warnings to Iranian civilians, port workers, office staff, and commercial ship crews. Vahid Online—a prominent citizen journalism and news aggregator channel—relayed CENTCOM's statement demanding civilians immediately distance themselves from any port facilities where the Iranian navy operates. The military stated the Iranian regime uses civilian ports for military operations that threaten international shipping, meaning these ports have lost their protected status and become legitimate military targets. This alert was echoed by the domestic aggregator خبرفوری ࡆ اخبارفوری مذاکره ࡆ جنگ فوری.
Beyond naval targets, US forces are actively targeting Iranian aviation. Iran International reported CENTCOM's claims on X that the Islamic Republic is losing its air power day by day as US forces systematically eliminate threats.
However, the US has also sustained operational losses. Vahid Online highlighted a CENTCOM announcement regarding the loss of a US KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft during the ongoing campaign against Iran, officially designated as Operation Epic Fury. The mid-air incident occurred in friendly airspace over western Iraq and involved two aircraft; one crashed while the second landed successfully. CENTCOM emphasized the loss was not the result of hostile or friendly fire, and search and rescue operations are ongoing.
The source Iran International frequently refers to Iran as the 'Islamic Republic,' which reflects its editorial opposition to the current regime; this terminology was maintained in the translation. The background context regarding the Afghan currency market was not referenced, as it is completely unrelated to the maritime and aviation military operations reported in these Farsi channels. Additionally, Pete Hegseth is directly referred to as 'Secretary of War' (وزیر جنگ) in the Farsi source, which was translated literally to preserve the original framing.