On the night of June 27, 2025, United States Central Command initiated Operation Epic Fury, the largest American military operation in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Within 72 hours, CENTCOM had coordinated strikes across Iranian territory from assets positioned in five countries, two carrier strike groups, and a bomber task force operating from Diego Garcia.
The Decision to Strike
The operation followed months of escalating tensions after Iran accelerated uranium enrichment beyond 60% and expanded ballistic missile transfers to proxy forces. When intelligence indicated Iran was weeks from a nuclear breakout capability, the National Security Council recommended kinetic action. President Biden authorized CENTCOM Commander General Michael Kurilla to execute a phased campaign plan that had been refined over the preceding six months.
The strategic objective was clear: degrade Iran's nuclear infrastructure, neutralize its integrated air defense system, and destroy its capacity to project power through ballistic missiles and proxy networks. CENTCOM planners drew on lessons from Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and the 2018 Syria strikes to design a campaign that maximized shock while minimizing coalition casualties.
Phase One: SEAD and Stand-Off Strikes
The opening salvo prioritized suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD). Over 200 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles launched from Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Virginia-class submarines struck Iranian S-300PMU2 and Bavar-373 air defense sites across western and central Iran. Simultaneously, F-35A Lightning IIs operating from Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE employed AGM-88G AARGM-ER anti-radiation missiles against radar installations.
Within the first six hours, CENTCOM assessed that Iran's long-range air defense network had been significantly degraded, opening corridors for follow-on strikes by non-stealth aircraft. EA-18G Growlers provided continuous electronic attack coverage, jamming surviving Iranian radars and communications nodes.
Phase Two: Nuclear and Strategic Targets
With air defense corridors established, B-2 Spirit bombers from the 509th Bomb Wing delivered GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators against hardened underground facilities at Fordow and Natanz. Each 30,000-pound bunker buster was designed to penetrate up to 60 meters of earth and reinforced concrete before detonating. Multiple weapons were employed per target to ensure destruction of deeply buried centrifuge halls.
F-15E Strike Eagles and F-35As struck above-ground nuclear facilities at Isfahan, Arak, and the Parchin military complex using precision-guided munitions including GBU-31 JDAMs and GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. Carrier-based F/A-18E/F Super Hornets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS Theodore Roosevelt contributed additional strike sorties.
Phase Three: IRGC and Missile Forces
By hour 36, CENTCOM shifted focus to Iran's offensive capabilities. Strikes targeted:
- Ballistic missile garrisons: Shahrud, Tabriz, and Kermanshah missile bases housing Shahab-3 and Emad medium-range ballistic missiles
- IRGC command facilities: Including the Aerospace Force headquarters in Tehran and regional command centers
- Naval assets: Fast attack craft bases at Bandar Abbas and Bushehr, plus anti-ship missile launchers along the Strait of Hormuz
- Drone production: Facilities linked to Shahed-series drone manufacturing
Coordination and Deconfliction
Managing airspace across such a vast operation required unprecedented coordination. CENTCOM's Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar processed over 3,000 air tasking orders in the first 72 hours. Israeli Air Force operations were integrated through a dedicated liaison cell, ensuring coalition and Israeli strike packages did not interfere with each other.
The logistics footprint was enormous. Military Sealift Command vessels pre-positioned in the Gulf provided ammunition resupply, while KC-135 and KC-46 tankers flew continuous refueling orbits to sustain strike operations. CENTCOM estimated that the first 72 hours consumed munitions equivalent to several months of typical peacetime training expenditure.
Initial Assessment
By June 30, CENTCOM released an initial battle damage assessment. Over 120 targets had been struck with a claimed 85% success rate. Iran's integrated air defense system was assessed as "functionally degraded," its nuclear program had suffered "significant setbacks," and several ballistic missile units were rendered inoperable. However, Iran retained residual strike capability and began launching retaliatory ballistic missiles at coalition bases within hours of the first strikes, underscoring that even a devastating opening salvo could not completely disarm a nation of 88 million people.
The Human Element
Behind the statistics stood tens of thousands of American service members executing one of the most complex military operations in history. Pilots flew combat sorties lasting 8-12 hours with multiple aerial refueling cycles. Submarine crews launched Tomahawks from cramped torpedo rooms after weeks submerged. Sailors on destroyer decks worked through the Gulf's oppressive heat to reload vertical launch system cells between salvos. Intelligence analysts at Al Udeid worked around the clock to process battle damage assessment imagery and retask strikes in near-real-time.
CENTCOM's commander held a video teleconference with the President and National Security Council every six hours during the initial 72-hour period, providing updates and requesting adjustments to targeting priorities. The pace of decision-making was relentless — targets identified, approved, struck, and assessed in cycles measured in hours rather than the days typical of previous campaigns. The compressed decision loop reflected both the urgency of the mission and the maturity of the intelligence-operations integration that CENTCOM had refined over two decades of Middle East operations.
The first 72 hours established the pattern for the broader campaign: overwhelming initial force, rapid transition between phases, and continuous adaptation as Iran's responses revealed surviving capabilities. CENTCOM's after-action assessment noted that the opening salvo exceeded planning expectations in SEAD effectiveness but fell short in mobile missile target destruction — a challenge that would define the subsequent weeks of the campaign.