Video: U.S. Forces Hit Iranian Drone Carrier
U.S. forces have released new footage of a strike on one of Iran's "drone carriers," the converted merchant vessels that Iranian forces have rebuilt to launch ballistic missiles, suicide drones and other unmanned munitions. The vessel's appearance matches IRIS Shahid Bagheri, which U.S. Central Command previously claimed to have struck on the first day of the conflict.
An accompanying statement by CENTCOM appears to confirm that an attack occurred on March 5. The footage released by U.S. Central Command shows that one of Iran's flat-deck conversions was hit twice - once amidships on the port side, and once again on the port quarter. The ship was hit Thursday and continued to burn as of Thursday night (EST), according to Central Command.
U.S. forces aren't holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy. Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire. pic.twitter.com/WyA4fniZck
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 6, 2026
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The vessel can be identified as the Bagheri thanks to its ski-jump ramp, unique among Iran's drone-carrier fleet. Other comparable vessels in Iran's arsenal - IRIS Shahid Roudaki and IRIS Shahid Madhavi - have unmodified, conventional bows, limiting them to vertical takeoff and landing operations. Base ship IRIS Makran, a larger multipurpose vessel constructed on the hull of a tanker and fitted with a helideck, was hit in the deckhouse in a previous round of strikes.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commanding officer of Central Command, said Thursday that the U.S. has now eliminated more than 30 Iranian warships. The tally includes IRIS Dena, the frigate torpedoed by a U.S. Navy attack submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka earlier this week.
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