The United States military conducted an airstrike that destroyed a Russian-made Ilyushin Il-76 heavy transport aircraft at Iran's Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani Airport in Kerman on March 12. U.S. Central Command released infrared footage of the strike, which also showed other aircraft on the apron, including a Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport and a P-3F Orion patrol plane.

The Il-76, operated by Iran's military, serves as a strategic airlifter for transporting heavy cargo such as armored vehicles, artillery, missile components, and engineering equipment over long distances. Iranian markings confirmed it belonged to the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, despite its Soviet-era Russian design. No casualties were reported from the ground strike, as the planes were stationary.

The Kerman strike occurred as Iran escalated attacks, including mine-laying in the Strait of Hormuz, strikes on Gulf shipping, and assaults on U.S. and allied bases. On March 12, Iranian forces set two oil tankers ablaze off Iraq and launched coordinated offensives with Hezbollah proxies. The U.S. responded by deploying additional B-1 and B-52 bombers to the region.

CENTCOM has emphasized that Iran is losing air capabilities daily through such precision strikes. The war has caused significant Iranian losses, with estimates of 1,444 to 4,286 deaths, including civilians and high-ranking officials like Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. U.S. casualties remain low at 15 military deaths, mostly from recent KC-135 tanker crashes in Iraq on March 13, killing six crew members.

Neither Iran nor Russia has issued specific statements on the Kerman strike. Russia evacuated staff from Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant earlier but has not intervened militarily. Oil prices surged due to Hormuz disruptions, prompting the U.S. to temporarily ease sanctions on Russian oil at sea.

The Pentagon continues bolstering forces with Marines and warships in the Middle East as strikes persist.