A senior US military commander says American forces have destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including what he described as Iran’s “most operational” submarine, during the ongoing US campaign against Iran.

In a video posted to X, Adm Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said the operation is focused on “shooting all the things that can shoot at us”, and described the strikes as “uncontested” and “surgical”, including sorties by B-2 and B-1 bombers.

“We are also sinking the Iranian navy — the entire navy,” Cooper said, adding: “Thus far, we’ve destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including the most operational Iranian submarine that now has a hole in its side.”

Cooper also claimed Iranian naval activity had been halted across key waterways, saying: “Today, there is not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman,” and added: “And we will not stop.”

The comments come four days into the US military operation, which Cooper referred to as Operation Epic Fury. He said the mission involves more than 50,000 US personnel and over 200 fighter aircraft, with strikes continuing “24/7”.

Cooper also repeated US claims about Iran’s response, saying Tehran has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones in retaliation, but argued Iran’s “ability to hit us is declining”.

UK Fact Check Politics note: these are claims made by the US commander in a social media update and have not been independently verified.