Iran’s missile and drone attacks have dropped sharply since the start of the U.S. military campaign against the country, according to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said American forces are now preparing to expand their strikes deeper into Iranian territory.

Speaking at a Pentagon press conference alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Gen. Dan Caine said Iran’s ability to launch ballistic missiles and attack drones has been significantly degraded in the early days of Operation Epic Fury.

“Iran’s theater ballistic missile shots fired are down 86 percent from the first day of fighting, with a 23 percent decrease just in the last 24 hours,” Caine said. “Their one-way attack drone shots are down 73 percent.”

The sharp decline reflects the impact of the massive strike campaign that has targeted Iranian missile launchers, military infrastructure, and naval assets across the region.

According to Caine, American forces have now struck more than 2,000 targets since the operation began. The campaign has also dealt a heavy blow to Iran’s naval capabilities.

U.S. forces have destroyed more than 20 Iranian naval vessels, the general said, effectively neutralizing much of Iran’s ability to operate at sea in the current theater of war.

Caine outlined three primary objectives guiding the campaign: neutralizing Iran’s ballistic missile threat, degrading or destroying the Iranian navy, and preventing Tehran from rapidly rebuilding its military capabilities.

The progress achieved so far, he said, has allowed U.S. Central Command to establish localized air superiority along the southern portion of Iran’s coastline.

With those gains secured, American forces are now preparing to escalate the campaign.

“We will now begin to expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory,”

Caine said, adding that the operation is transitioning from primarily long-range strikes to closer-range precision attacks.

Those strikes will increasingly rely on guided munitions aimed at specific military targets, part of a broader strategy to dismantle Iran’s remaining capabilities while maintaining operational flexibility.

Caine also sought to reassure reporters that the United States has ample weapons to sustain the campaign for as long as necessary.

While declining to reveal the exact size of American stockpiles for security reasons, the general said U.S. forces have sufficient precision-guided munitions to continue operations without constraint.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)