Defense Petraeus argues US now has ‘air supremacy’ over Iran by Sophie Brams - 03/06/26 10:20 AM ET by Sophie Brams - 03/06/26 10:20 AM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING Former CIA Director David Petraeus, who also previously served as commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), argued Wednesday that the U.S. military has achieved “air supremacy” over Iran as conflict in the Middle East intensifies. Petraeus was asked by NewsNation host Blake Burman what he made of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s assertion that firepower over Tehran was “about to surge dramatically.” “Well, what it looks like is that we now have the ability to fly not just stealth fighter bombers, F-35 and B2 stealth bombers , but also the real work horses than can carry enormous payloads, the B-52s and the B-1s,” he told “The Hill” host. “We’re not concerned really at this point in time about the air and ballistic defense of Iran, as long as you stay above heavy machine gun range, and that means you can just really pour it on,” Petraeus added. While the retired general said he believes the U.S. has attained dominance in the skies , he acknowledged others were hesitant to go that far. “I would argue that we actually have air supremacy now, not just air superiority, but I think folks are rightly cautious about those kinds of assessments publicly,” Petraeus said. Hegseth conceded on Wednesday that some Iranian airstrikes could still break through and reach targets in the Middle East despite enhancements to air defense systems; however, officials indicated a day later that ballistic missile attacks from Tehran were slowing as a result of joint U.S.-Israeli efforts . “Our combined joint forces have relentlessly destroyed Iran’s air defenses over the past few days, and they ‘ve continued hunting for more systems to kill,” Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, told reporters during a Thursday briefing. “We are fighting to win through combined U.S. and Israeli combat power. We will continue decimating Iran’s ability to project power outside its borders,” he added. Petraeus noted that it was “heartening” to see a decline in the number of strikes, referencing what he called “missile math.” “That is the calculation that’s constantly being done by everyone in the region…that is, how many interceptors do we have left? And how many missiles and really launchers do they have left?” he explained. Six U.S. service members were killed in an Iranian airstrike at a tactical operations center in Kuwait on Sunday, a day after U.S. and Israeli forces launched an attack aimed at stifling Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and toppling its leadership. Hegseth has signaled that the U.S. has enough munitions to sustain the military operation as long as necessary, without ruling out the possibility of boots on the ground. Add as preferred source on Google Tags CENTCOM cia David Petraeus Donald Trump NewsNation Pete Hegseth Trump administration U.S.-Iran strikes Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email More Defense News See All Administration Trump on whether Americans should fear Iran reprisals in US: ‘I guess’ by Sarah Davis 13 minutes ago Administration  /  13 minutes ago