Iran Missile Launches Down 86% Since Start of Conflict, Top US General Says

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine announced at a Pentagon briefing that Iran's theater ballistic missile launches have fallen 86% since the first day of Operation Epic Fury, with a 23% decrease in the past 24 hours. CENTCOM has struck over 2,000 Iranian regime targets and destroyed more than 20 naval vessels, including a frigate sunk by a U.S. submarine — the first enemy warship sunk since World War II. Regional partners including Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar have supported defensive operations against Iranian attacks, which included over 500 missiles and 2,000 drones targeting civilian areas. Caine stated three strategic objectives remain: eliminating ballistic missile systems, destroying Iranian naval capacity, and preventing rapid military reconstitution.