The United States military dropped “multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions” on underground Iranian missile sites located near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday (March 17), the U.S. Central Command announced in a post shared on its X account.
The attack took place amid the ongoing ‘Operation Epic Fury’ and Iran stopping shipping flow through the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as a vital waterway for trade along the Persian Gulf.
“Hours ago, U.S. forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait,” the combatant command said.
A U.S. official confirmed to CNN that munitions were the GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penetrator, which was initially released by U.S. aircraft in 2021 and developed to “overcome hardened, deeply buried target challenges and designed for both fighter and bomber aircraft,” according to a press release shared by the U.S. Air Force in 2021.
Iran has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz since the launch of ‘Operation Epic Fury’ with mines, drones and ships, which has slowed an estimated 27% of global maritime energy and resulted in oil prices rising above $100 per barrel. Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, vowed that the United States would “continue to rapidly deplete Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz” in a video shared on the command’s X account Monday (March 16).
“Our progress remains steady, and we remain vigilant against the enemy,” he added.
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