Watch: US Strikes Iranian Drone Carrier, Setting It On Fire Amid Operation ‘Epic Fury’

The United States military has struck an Iranian drone carrier, IRIS Shahid Bagheri, setting the vessel on fire as Washington intensifies attacks on Iran’s naval forces under Operation Epic Fury.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the strike on Thursday and released footage showing the vessel burning after multiple hits.

According to CENTCOM, the vessel targeted in the strike was IRIS Shahid Bagheri, a converted container ship commissioned by Iran in February 2025.

The ship was designed to operate drones at sea and featured a 590-foot runway for unmanned aerial vehicles. Reports at the time of its launch said the vessel could travel up to 22,000 nautical miles without refueling at ports, giving Iran long-range drone deployment capability.

US Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper said the ship was roughly comparable in size to a World War II aircraft carrier.

During a press briefing, Cooper stated that the vessel was on fire following the strike while the operation was still ongoing.

CENTCOM also posted black-and-white footage of the attack on social media platform X.

U.S. forces aren’t holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy. Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire. pic.twitter.com/WyA4fniZck

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 6, 2026

Iran’s military had not immediately acknowledged the attack and has largely avoided publicly detailing equipment losses during the ongoing conflict.

According to CENTCOM, more than 30 Iranian warships have already been destroyed or sunk since the start of the operation.

US officials said the military campaign has hit more than 2,000 targets inside Iran, including missile infrastructure and naval assets.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington was focused on degrading Iran’s offensive capabilities rather than expanding the scope of the war.

He said the objectives include destroying Iran’s missile systems, missile production facilities, and naval assets, while preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

Hegseth added that Iran was miscalculating if it believed the United States could not sustain the conflict.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi criticised recent US naval actions and warned that Washington would regret setting such a precedent at sea.

He referred to the sinking of an Iranian frigate earlier in the conflict, describing it as an attack carried out far from Iran’s territorial waters.

References: hindustantimes, nypost

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