U.S. Central Command released before-and-after images Monday showing the destruction of several Iranian military facilities targeted during recent American strikes aimed at weakening Tehran’s defense manufacturing network.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, presented the images during a video update on the ongoing campaign known as Operation Epic Fury. According to Cooper, the photographs demonstrate the extent of damage inflicted on sites linked to Iran’s military production and logistics systems.
“These images show what’s left of facilities that were being used to produce weapons that threaten Americans and our partners in the region,” Cooper said.
Among the locations highlighted was a naval drone storage facility located near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Satellite imagery taken prior to a March 1 strike showed the complex intact. A second image displayed the site after the attack, with the structures heavily damaged or destroyed.
Cooper also presented images of an attack drone production facility in Tehran targeted on March 5. Similar comparison photos showed the factory standing before the strike and reduced to rubble afterward.
Another key target was the Yazd Military Depot, a site the U.S. military says played a central role in Iran’s missile command infrastructure. According to Cooper, eight buildings at the depot were destroyed during the strike.
Update from CENTCOM Commander on Operation Epic Fury: pic.twitter.com/oGJ3QJBz5o
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 16, 2026
Those structures were allegedly used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to support missile operations and to manufacture both light and heavy torpedoes.
“U.S. and partner strikes are doing exactly what they are intended to do,” Cooper said. “They deliver on very clear military objectives to eliminate Iran’s ability to project power against Americans and against its neighbors.”
The broader military campaign is also focused on protecting global shipping routes, particularly the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman is widely regarded as the world’s most critical oil transit corridor, with a significant portion of global petroleum shipments passing through it each day.
Cooper said U.S. forces and allied partners have already inflicted heavy losses on Iranian naval assets operating in the region.
“Through a combination of air, land, and maritime capabilities, we have successfully destroyed over 100 Iranian naval vessels,” Cooper said. “We will continue to rapidly deplete Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz.”
The escalating confrontation has unsettled global energy markets and heightened concerns about the security of the vital shipping lane.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump said he had spoken with several countries about providing military assistance to ensure the strait remains open to international commerce.
“I talked to about seven countries,” Trump said, though it was not immediately clear whether any formal commitments had been secured.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials signaled that Tehran has little interest in pursuing negotiations. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media early Monday that Iran is seeking neither “truce nor talks,” dismissing speculation that the government might pursue a diplomatic end to the conflict.
