7 DAYS OF ‘EPIC FURY’: On the seventh day of the U.S-Israeli war against Iran, Israel launched its 14th round of attacks targeting Tehran, as well as pounding Hezbollah targets in the densely populated southern outskirts of Beirut.
In a briefing at the headquarters of the U.S Central Command in Tampa, Florida, the overall commander of the U.S forces said America’s control of the skies is allowing the U.S. to “hit Iran’s center of gravity with overwhelming power and reach.”
“In just the last 72 hours, America’s bomber force has struck nearly 200 targets deep inside of Iran, including around Tehran,” Adm. Brad Cooper told reporters after meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“U.S. B-2 bombers dropped dozens of 2,000-pound penetrator bombs targeting deeply-buried ballistic missile launchers. Notably, we have also struck Iran’s equivalent of Space Command, which degrades their ability to threaten Americans,” Cooper said, noting that day-by-day Iran’s ability to counterattack is degrading.
“If I just look back over the last 24 hours of the operation compared to where we were to start, ballistic missile attacks have decreased by 90% since day one, drone attacks have decreased by 83% since day one,” Cooper said. “You may have heard the President say just a little while ago that we have sunk or destroyed 24 ships. That was true at the moment. We’re now up over 30 ships. And in just the last few hours, we hit an Iranian drone carrier ship roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier, and as we speak, it’s on fire.”
CENTCOM RELEASES VIDEO OF US STRIKING IRANIAN DRONE SHIP SIZE OF ‘WWII AIRCRAFT CARRIER’
TRUMP GLOATS HE’S THE ‘G.O.A.T.’: President Donald Trump couldn’t be happier about how the war is going so far, telling ABC’s Jonathan Karl in a phone interview that the performance of the U.S. military “might be even better” than in January’s Venezuela operation and taking full credit for the success so far. “In my first term I built the military,” he told Karl. “In my second term I’m using it.” Trump told ABC.
“They’re calling me the GOAT, the greatest of all time,” Trump boasted to Karl, and indicated he is in no hurry to bring the war to a quick conclusion. “There are many people who say it’s already over,” he said. “It’s not over to me. It’s over when I want it to be.”
In brief remarks at a White House event, Trump claimed surviving members of the Iranian regime were reaching out, seeking a ceasefire. “They’re calling, they’re saying, ‘How do we make a deal?’ I said, ‘You’re being a little bit late. And we want to fight now more than they do.”
“The United States military, together with the wonderful Israeli partners, continues to totally demolish the enemy far ahead of schedule and at levels that people have never seen before, actually,” Trump said. “We’re destroying more of Iran’s missiles and drone capability every single hour, knocking them out like nobody thought was possible. As soon as they set off a missile, within four minutes, the launcher gets hit. They don’t know what’s happening.”
Karl said in a post on X, that when he said to Trump nobody questions the success of the military operation, the concern is what happens next, Trump replied, “Forget about next … They are decimated for a 10-year period before they could build it back.”
US WAR IN IRAN IS ‘FULL STEAM AHEAD’ WITH CONTINUED BOMBINGS
TRUMP SAYS IRAN WILL NEED HIS APPROVAL FOR NEXT LEADER: In multiple phone interviews that included Axios, Politico and ABC News, Trump asserted that he will play a major role in selecting the next leader in Iran.
“I’m going to have a big impact, or they’re not going to have any settlement, because we’re not going to have to go do this again,” Trump told Politico. “We’ll work with the people and the regime to make sure that somebody gets there that can nicely build Iran but without nuclear weapons.”
Trump told Axios that he needs to be personally involved in selecting Iran’s next leader, just as he was in Venezuela, and he rejected the speculation that Mojtaba Khamenei — the 56-year-old son of the Ali Khamenei killed on the first day of the war — might take over for his father. “They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela,” Trump said, telling Axios reporter Barak Ravid that putting the son in charge would only continue Khamenei’s policies, which he said would force the U.S. back to war “in five years.”
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump said. In his ABC call, he said, “We don’t want some president in 10 years to get stuck with this problem and not know what to do with it.”
On CNN, former Trump national security adviser John Bolton said the idea that Trump will be able to handpick the next is questionable at best: “I think the polite thing to say is it’s delusional.”
“The idea that the ayatollahs that form the ruling circles of this regime are going to care what Donald Trump thinks is a mistake, and it’s equally a mistake to think that after he picks the new supreme leader, that he’ll just make deals with him like he did with Delcy,” Bolton said. “Iraq is not Venezuela. It means that whomever is chosen as supreme leader will be the entire deep state, including 200,000 Revolutionary Guard soldiers still in place.”
TRUMP’S EPIC GAMBLE ON EPIC FURY
Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre). Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot me an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE
HAPPENING TODAY: Pete Hegseth is on President Trump’s dance card today, scheduled to meet with his commander in chief in a 2:30 meeting in the Oval Office. No word on whether the two will make any public remarks. Trump has a meeting with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum scheduled for an hour later.
Hegseth has assumed the role of the loudest and proudest cheerleader for the Iran war, delivering emotional, fiery briefings replete with pointed barbs for the press, as well as bellicose taunts for the Iranians. “They are toast and they know it,” Hegseth said at his Wednesday briefing. “We have only just begun to hunt, dismantle, demoralize, destroy and defeat their capabilities.”
“It is not a fair fight. We are punching them while they’re down, which is exactly how it should be,” he said. They are terrorists after all and they need to target civilians because they can’t fight toe-to-toe. But we will find them and we will kill them.”
Hegseth also turned his ire on the news media for its coverage of the deaths of six U.S. soldiers who were killed when a command center in Kuwait took a direct hit from an Iranian drone. “When a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it’s front page news. I get it,” The press only wants to make the President look bad, but try for once to report the reality.”
Hegseth rarely passes up a chance to criticize past military operations, or denigrate the contributions of allies who have fought beside U.S. troops. “Unlike the past where vague red lines and endless negotiations let Iran fund terror and inch ever so slightly toward a bomb, this President sees the threat plainly and acts decisively,” said. “No more half-measures, especially when Iran is at its weakest.”
As for allies, Hegseth called Israel, ”a breath of fresh air,”
“When I said a breath of fresh air, I really meant it. Usually, it’s us with some ancillary benefits from allies who are maybe willing, but not as capable.”
OPINION: HEGSETH SHOULD DROP THE FLIPPANT BLUSTER
‘NO SHORTAGE OF MUNITIONS’: At CENTCOM yesterday, Hegseth pushed back against the reports that the U.S. has only limited supplies of expensive, high-end interceptor missiles for its Patriot and THAAD systems.
“Our munitions are full up. And our will is ironclad, which means our timeline is ours and ours alone to control,” Hegseth said. “We’ve got no shortage of munitions. Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to sustain this campaign as long as we need to.”
“We have the greatest military anywhere in the world,” Trump said at the White House. “Their Navy is gone. 24 ships in three days, that’s a lot of ships. Their anti-aircraft weapons are gone. So they have no Air Force, they have no air defense. All of their aeroplanes are gone. Their communications are gone. Missiles are gone, launchers are gone, about 60 percent and 64 percent, respectively. Other than that, they’re doing quite well.”
IS CUBA NEXT? Trump is euphoric about what he sees as an unqualified success in Iran, which prompted Politico in its phone session with the president to ask about Cuba. “People are loving what’s happening,” he gushed, referring to Iran, and then added: “Cuba’s going to fall, too.”
“We cut off all oil, all money, or we cut off everything coming in from Venezuela, which was the sole source. And they want to make a deal,” Trump said. Asked whether the United States was playing a role in the Cuban government’s demise, Trump responded, “Well, what do you think? For 50 years, that’s icing on the cake.’
“We cut off all oil, all money, … everything coming in from Venezuela, which was the sole source,” Trump said. “It’s because of my intervention, intervention that is happening … They need help. We are talking to Cuba.
“How long have you been hearing about Cuba — Cuba, Cuba — for 50 years?” adding “And that’s one of the small ones for me.”
TRUMP ALL BUT DECLARES US WILL TURN FOCUS TO CUBA AFTER IRAN IN ‘A COUPLE OF WEEKS’
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Trump’s epic gamble on Epic Fury
Washington Examiner: US war in Iran is ‘full steam ahead’ with continued bombings
Washington Examiner: CENTCOM releases video of US striking Iranian drone ship size of ‘WWII aircraft carrier’
Washington Examiner: US looks to lessons from Ukraine in how to fight Iranian drones
Washington Examiner: B-2 stealth bombers, one-way attack drones and more: The machinery and weaponry being used by US in Iran
Washington Examiner: State Department announces first US-chartered evacuation flight from Middle East and 10,000 aided in return
Washington Examiner: Beware Iran’s Council at Fili: What if the regime goes underground?
Washington Examiner: Trump says ‘I guess’ Americans should worry about Iranian attack on US soil
Washington Examiner: US and Venezuela agree to renew diplomatic and consular ties, State Department says
Washington Examiner: Trump all but declares US will turn focus to Cuba after Iran in ‘a couple of weeks’
Washington Examiner: Russia distances itself from Iran conflict: ‘Not our war’
Washington Examiner: Trump says Iran was two weeks away from nuclear weapon, forcing US strike
Washington Examiner: Spain urges Trump not to ‘play Russian roulette’ with ‘destiny of millions’ in Iran
Washington Examiner: Starmer defends waffling on Iran: ‘Hanging on to President Trump’s latest words’ is not ‘special relationship in action’
Washington Examiner: Trump ousts Kristi Noem as DHS chief and taps Markwayne Mullin to take her place
Washington Examiner: Tears of joy and relief: DHS and Trump insiders celebrate Kristi Noem departure
Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Why the submarine attack is brutal but good news
Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Hegseth should drop the flippant bluster
New York Times: Analysis Suggests School Was Hit Amid U.S. Strikes on Iranian Naval Base
AP: Tensions flare as lawmakers question Iran war’s costs, risks and strategy
The War Zone: LUCAS Kamikaze Drones Lauded As ‘Indispensable’ by US Admiral in Charge of Iran War
Washington Post: Anthropic’s AI tool Claude central to U.S. campaign in Iran, amid a bitter feud
Wall Street Journal: Trump ‘Actively Considering’ U.S. Role in Iran After Conflict Ends
AP: US and Mideast Countries Seek Kyiv’s Drone Expertise as Russia-Ukraine Talks Put on Ice
Reuters: Ukraine’s F-16 Jets Were Starved of US-Made Missiles for Weeks
The War Zone: US Denies F-15E Strike Eagle Went Down in Iran
AP: Sri Lanka takes control of an Iranian vessel off its coast after US sank an Iranian warship
Washington Post: Trump offers U.S. air cover and other support to Kurds if they rise up against Tehran
Bloomberg: Iran’s Navy in Crosshairs as US Strikes Warship With Submarine
Wall Street Journal: Tehran Is Fighting with Jets That Date Back to the Vietnam War
ABC News: How Much Is the War with Iran Costing the US?
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Still More Fighters, Bombers Set to Join Iran Air War
Defense One: Drone Threat ‘Will Far Exceed’ That of GWOT’s Roadside Bombs
DefenseScoop: DOD Placing First Drone Dominance Orders This Week, with Deliveries Slated for 17 Military Units in March
AP: GOP senator and police drag Marine veteran protesting Iran war out of Senate hearing
New York Times: China Bets on Technology to Resist US Pressure
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Development Agency Faces Challenges Scaling its Growing Constellation
Air & Space Forces Magazine: NATO Scrambles a Dozen Aircraft as Russian Warplanes Approach Alaska
Air & Space Forces Magazine: US Won’t Update Nuclear Posture Review: Pentagon Policy Chief
THE CALENDAR:
FRIDAY | MARCH 6
11 a.m. 1957 E Street NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs discussion: “The current state of U.S.-China bilateral relations, the challenges of strategic competition, and the future of ties between Washington and Beijing,” with former U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/distinguished-speaker-series
1 p.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “War With Iran: Why Now and What Comes Next?” with Ali Vaez, Crisis Group Iran Project director; Suzanne Maloney, director of the Brookings Institution’s Foreign Policy Program; Robert Malley, Yale Jackson School senior fellow; and Aaron David Miller, CEIP senior fellow https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/03/war-with-iran-why-now
THURSDAY | MARCH 12
6:30 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. — Association of the U.S. Army “Coffee Series,” with Brent Ingraham, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/ingraham
MONDAY | MARCH 16
2 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “A Conversation with Ambassador Kevin Rudd,” with CSIS President and CEO John Hamre, and Charles Edel, CSIS senior adviser and Australia chair https://www.csis.org/events/conversation-ambassador-kevin-rudd
THURSDAY | MARCH 19
9 a.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research in-person discussion: “Poland, Northeastern Europe, and the Future of the Transatlantic Partnership,” with Erik Brattberg, nonresident senior fellow, Atlantic Council; Ian Brzezinski, senior fellow, Atlantic Council; Heather Conley, nonresident senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute, Robert Doar, president, American Enterprise Institute; Radosław Fogiel, Member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland; Anniken Huitfeldt, Ambassador of Norway to the United States; Igor Janke, president, Warsaw Freedom Institute; Paweł Kowal, member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland; Andrew Michta, professor of strategic studies, University of Florida; Dalibor Rohac, senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute; Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy, American Enterprise Institute; and Rep. Michael Turner (D-OH) https://www.aei.org/events/poland-northeastern-europe-and-the-future-of-the-transatlantic-partnership/?
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The Russian negotiating position is based on a bluff and a lie. The bluff is that the Russians will overwhelm Ukraine and take what they want anyway. The lie is that they will be satisfied with less than what they continually demand: complete political control over Ukraine, the withdrawal of NATO forces from all states admitted after 1997, restrictions on U.S. weapons and exercises in Europe, and an end to NATO’s open-door policy. Whether or not Putin might ultimately compromise, the Russians have thus far refused to bend.” Analysis from the Institute for the Study of War
