'Hitting Iran unapologetically': US says Operation Epic Fury 'laser-focused' as tensions escalate

Visuals from attack during Iran-US-Israel war

The United States Central Command on Tuesday morning said that the American forces are hitting Iran "unapologetically".

"As the Secretary of War stated this morning, U.S. forces are hitting Iran surgically, overwhelmingly, and unapologetically. Operation Epic Fury is laser-focused on destroying Iranian offensive missiles," the central command said in an X post.

This comes days after the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iran on February 28, targeting senior leadership in what officials described as an effort to bring down the ruling establishment.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said Washington would back Iranians who seek to oust the country’s clerical regime.

Tehran responded with a wave of missile attacks aimed at Gulf nations that host American military installations, including Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Projectiles were also launched in the direction of United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

The United States Department of State on Monday urged American citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern nations immediately, including Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, as military exchanges between the United States and Israel against Iran intensified.

Mora Namdar, assistant secretary for consular affairs at the State Department, advised US nationals to exit the region through available commercial transport options, saying it was necessary "due to safety risks."