Hegseth: US not expanding military objectives in Iran

Next phase of operations

The United States has hit more than 2,000 targets in Iran, including Iranian warships. Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, said US forces had destroyed 30 Iranian warships, including an Iranian drone carrier ship earlier on Thursday.

Cooper said the United States was hitting Iran's ability to rebuild.

"As we transition to the next phase of this operation, we will systematically dismantle Iran's missile production capability for the future, and that's absolutely in progress," Cooper said, adding that it would take some time.

The US military has identified the six US Army Reserve soldiers killed when a drone slammed into a US military facility in Port ​Shuaiba, Kuwait.