Iran’s frontline airpower has taken a devastating blow as 16 combat jets were destroyed in and around Tehran in a single night, just as a third U.S. aircraft carrier moves into striking distance, Western and regional sources say.

Explosions rocked two major airbases near the capital after precision munitions slammed into hardened shelters, fuel farms and maintenance hangars. Satellite imagery reviewed by analysts shows blackened revetments and twisted wreckage of what appear to be Su‑24, F‑4 and advanced trainer‑attack aircraft — many caught on the ground before they could scramble.

Iranian state TV concedes “material losses” but insists several jets were moved beforehand and vows “new surprises” for U.S. and Israeli forces. Off camera, officials admit the raids have sharply reduced the number of serviceable strike aircraft available to defend the capital and key nuclear and missile sites.

Compounding Tehran’s headache, Pentagon sources confirm the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group is now entering the wider theatre, joining the Abraham Lincoln and a second carrier already operating in the Arabian Sea and eastern Mediterranean. Together, the three decks can surge hundreds of sorties a day, plus volleys of Tomahawk cruise missiles from their escorts.

For Iran’s commanders, the nightmare is clear: shrinking squadrons on the ground, growing carrier decks at sea. For a region watching fuel prices spike and maps fill with new red circles, the question is whether this collapse of Iranian airpower will shorten the war — or tempt Washington and Jerusalem to push their advantage far deeper into Iran than ever before.