US CENTCOM Commander Claims US Achieved All Military Goals in Iran

US CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper. (Wikimedia Commons/DoD/Benjamin Applebaum)

JAKARTA - The United States military achieved all its goals in Iran in less than 40 days, including significantly reducing Tehran's ability to project power across the Middle East, the top US commander for the region said on Thursday.

"Currently, Iran can no longer attack with the same strength and scale (as before)," said US Central Command (US CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, launching Al Arabiya (15/5).

"Furthermore, with 90 percent of its defense industrial base destroyed, Iran will not be able to rebuild that strength for years," he added.

In addition to greatly reducing Iran's military strength and capabilities, Admiral Cooper said the country's main regional proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, had been cut off from Tehran's supply and arms support.

Speaking to lawmakers during a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing, Admiral Cooper praised support from Washington's Arab and Middle Eastern allies.

He highlighted the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel for their assistance and ability to defend their respective countries.

"But there are some 'less than satisfactory' regional countries," he said, without elaborating.

As the war progressed and Iran deployed a large number of cheap but effective drones, Washington asked for Ukraine's help. The US military adopted "a large number of tactics, techniques, and procedures" that Ukraine used to help defend itself against the Iranian attacks, said the CENTCOM commander.

When asked about the war itself and the threat emanating from Iran, Admiral Cooper said the US began to see an increase in Iran's ability and intention to produce more ballistic missiles in November and December.

"This poses a very significant risk both for our partners and ourselves," he said.

Admiral Cooper also took the opportunity to remind lawmakers and the public of Iran's track record against the US.

"Iran's hostile and deadly track record against the US has been well documented. But I'm not sure if it is well understood. In the 30 months before Epic Fury, Iranian-backed terror groups attacked US forces and diplomats more than 350 times," he said.

He was asked about recent reports that Iran currently has between 70 and 75 percent of its missiles and launchers ready for use. Without going into specific details, Cooper said these numbers were inaccurate.