Shafaq News- Washington

The White House said on Tuesday that Iran’s military capabilities have been significantly degraded during the ongoing US operation against Tehran, adding that Iran-aligned armed factions in Iraq are showing reduced operational effectiveness.

Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, told Shafaq News that the military campaign —referred to by US officials as Operation Epic Fury— is progressing beyond initial expectations.

“The Iranian regime is being absolutely crushed,” Kelly said, adding that “their ballistic missile retaliation is decreasing every day, their navy is being wiped out, [and] their production capacity is being demolished.” She also downplayed the threat posed by Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq, saying that “proxies are hardly putting up a fight.”

Kelly confirmed that the operation is “meeting or surpassing all of its goals,” stressing that “the United States will continue to dominate.”

Earlier, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, condemned the “terrorist attacks by Iran and Iran-aligned terrorist militia groups in Iraq, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region,” reiterating the importance of the Iraqi government “taking all possible measures to safeguard US diplomatic personnel and facilities.”

Since Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq —a coalition of Iran-aligned armed factions— has entered the confrontation by targeting US military sites in Iraq and across the region. In daily statements, the group has claimed between roughly 20 and 36 attacks within 24 hours, often using drones and rockets against what it describes as “enemy bases.”

For Shafaq News, Mostafa Hashem, Washington, D.C.