America struck over 90 Iranian navy websites on Kharg Island on 13 March 2026 as a part of Operation Epic Fury, destroying naval mine storage services, missile bunkers, and different navy infrastructure whereas intentionally sparing oil installations.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper confirmed that US forces had flown over 6,000 fight flights and destroyed greater than 100 Iranian naval vessels for the reason that begin of the operation. Cooper acknowledged that the US had achieved full air superiority over Iran and secured the Strait of Hormuz – which Tehran had threatened to shut – as a transit hall for worldwide delivery.
Iran retaliated on 15 March with drone and missile strikes towards US and allied positions in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), describing the wave as a “decisive section” response to its losses on Kharg Island.
The Kharg Island Strikes
The 13 March strikes represented one of many largest single-day precision bombing campaigns of Operation Epic Fury. CENTCOM had earlier deployed two provider strike teams to the area to help the operation.
CENTCOM confirmed that B-2 stealth bombers participated within the raid, delivering long-range strikes designed – in CENTCOM’s phrases – to “eradicate the risk from the Iranian regime at this time” and “eradicate their potential to rebuild sooner or later.”
The choice to spare Kharg Island’s oil infrastructure was deliberate. Kharg handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports, and its destruction would have despatched international vitality markets into additional turmoil.
Nonetheless, President Trump warned that oil installations can be focused if Iran continued to intrude with delivery by means of the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil costs had already breached $100 per barrel by 8 March, with Brent crude peaking close to $126 earlier than settling round $100 on 15 March. The Worldwide Power Company (IEA) introduced that its 32 member international locations had agreed to launch 400 million barrels from emergency reserves to stabilise costs.
Iranian Retaliation
Iran’s retaliatory marketing campaign on 15 March struck a number of targets throughout the area. At Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB) in Saudi Arabia, Iranian missiles broken 5 US Air Pressure KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling plane on the flight line.
The Pentagon confirmed the tankers have been broken however not destroyed, with 4 returning to service shortly and one requiring extra repairs.
The KC-135 losses compounded earlier US casualties. The Pentagon had already confirmed the deaths of six KC-135 crew members in a separate incident throughout operations, elevating whole US navy fatalities to 13 – the Air Pressure’s first fight losses of the US–Iran battle.
Iran additionally launched drone and missile strikes towards the US Embassy compound in Baghdad and focused UAE services in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, the place intercepts have been reported alongside fires and particles from inbound projectiles. The UAE Defence Ministry acknowledged it had intercepted the vast majority of incoming threats however confirmed six deaths and over 120 accidents from strikes that penetrated its defences.
In a separate motion on 16 March, Iranian cluster missiles struck central Israel, with a number of impacts reported and at the least one damage confirmed. Israel had by that time performed over 200 strikes of its personal towards Iranian targets as a part of the broader marketing campaign.
Strait of Hormuz and the Wider Escalation
The Strait of Hormuz – by means of which roughly 20% of the world’s oil and pure fuel transits – remained the central strain level. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had warned that “not a litre of oil” would cross by means of the strait, and tanker site visitors had dropped by roughly 70% for the reason that begin of hostilities, with over 150 vessels anchoring exterior the waterway.
President Trump demanded that allied nations contribute warships to reopen the strait, framing it as a shared financial safety obligation. The deployment of parts from the thirty first Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) aboard USS Tripoli to the area raised questions on whether or not a broader amphibious or floor part might observe – although no such operation had been introduced.
One analyst famous that the 13 March goal set – runways, naval services, air defences, and mine storage – was according to preparations for an amphibious or airborne assault, although this remained speculative.
Notes and Feedback
The escalation sample by means of mid-March 2026 reveals two dynamics price monitoring. The primary is the rising pressure on US aerial refuelling capability. The KC-135 fleet is already one of many oldest airframes within the US Air Pressure stock, and the lack of 5 extra tankers at PSAB – even briefly – constrains the operational tempo of US air operations throughout the theatre.
The second is Iran’s focusing on calculus. By placing US belongings in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iraq concurrently, Tehran seems to be testing the air and missile defence architectures of a number of US companion states without delay, slightly than concentrating on a single entrance. This distributed strategy forces the US and its allies to disperse their defensive belongings, creating potential gaps.
Given the size of the air marketing campaign – 6,000-plus sorties, 100-plus naval vessels destroyed – Operation Epic Fury has already surpassed the opening phases of most post-Chilly Conflict US navy campaigns in depth. Nonetheless, Iran’s capability to maintain retaliatory strikes towards forward-deployed US belongings and regional allies suggests the battle is way from a one-sided affair. The approaching weeks will possible decide whether or not the US presses for a floor part or seeks to consolidate its air and naval positive factors right into a negotiating place.
