New Delhi, March 4 -- As Operation Epic Fury continues, the US Central Command on Tuesday said its forces are in full control of the situation. Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads U.S. forces in the Middle East as the head of Central Command, said the first 24 hours of the 'Operation Epic Fury' bombardment of Iran were "nearly double the scale" of the first 24 hours of the 'Shock and Awe' campaign that opened the Iraq War in 2003.

"We are seeing that Iran's ability to hit us, and our partners, is declining, while our combat power, on the other hand, is building," Cooper said in a video. "My overall operational assessment is that we are ahead of our game plan."

Cooper said Iran's air defences had been badly degraded, its navy had no operation...