The Pentagon says Iran’s navy has been effectively erased from the battlefield.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth declared Thursday that U.S. forces have dismantled Tehran’s maritime capabilities after weeks of sustained strikes, saying Iran’s surface fleet is now “no longer a factor.”
“To borrow a page from Admiral Ernest King in World War II, we’ve decided to share the ocean with Iran,” Hegseth said during a Pentagon briefing on Operation Epic Fury. “We’ve given them the bottom half.”
According to Hegseth, U.S. forces have damaged or sunk more than 120 Iranian vessels, a sweeping blow to a navy long used to harass shipping lanes and project regional power. Additional battle damage assessments are still underway, suggesting the final tally could climb even higher.
He added that all 11 of Iran’s submarines have been destroyed — a claim that, if fully confirmed, would mark a decisive collapse of Iran’s undersea capabilities.
Watch the clip below:
SecWar Hegseth: “We’ve decided to share the ocean with Iran. We’ve given them the bottom half. We’ve damaged or sunk over 120 of their Navy’s ships.”pic.twitter.com/UObqPqiySb
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 19, 2026
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