US Commander Tells Senate Iran Bombing Met All Goals, Degraded Military Power

WASHINGTON — Adm. Brad Cooper of U.S. Central Command told senators that the bombing campaign against Iran, Operation Epic Fury, achieved all objectives to significantly degrade the country's military capabilities, even as Tehran claims control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Cooper informed the Senate Armed Services Committee that U.S. forces destroyed more than 90 percent of Iran's inventory of 8,000 naval mines to block their use in the strait. He acknowledged that Iran retains some ability to threaten ships.

"The Iranian ability to stop commerce has been dramatically degraded through the straits, but their voice is very loud, and those threats are clearly heard by the merchant industry and the insurance industry," Cooper said Thursday.

Answering questions from senators of both parties, Cooper said the U.S. has military options to reopen the Strait of Hormuz but left that choice to policymakers. He noted the waterway sits at the heart of negotiations for a long-term peace deal.

Pressed on the conflict's duration, Cooper said the ceasefire from April 7 holds, despite the U.S. Navy blockade of Iranian ports and fire exchanges last week. The administration has notified Congress that hostilities with Iran have terminated.

In written testimony, Cooper stated Operation Epic Fury damaged or destroyed more than 85 percent of Iran's ballistic missile, drone and naval industrial base via 1,450 strikes on weapons facilities. Iran would need a generation to rebuild its navy and years to restore drone and missile production, he told senators.

He called recent reports that Iran holds 70 percent of its ballistic missile stock inaccurate but skipped details due to classification. CBS News reported in April that Iran kept at least half of its ballistic missiles and launchers.

Cooper said U.S. Central Command observed rising Iranian capability and intent to produce more ballistic missiles between November and December 2025. That risk shaped Operation Epic Fury's goals.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said the Senate Armed Services Committee has not received the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel opinion justifying the president's authority for the strikes.

"We're being asked to fund a $1.5 trillion budget, but our request of the DOJ to see the OLC opinion justifying this war — they have refused to allow members of the Armed Services Committee to see it," Kaine said. "If they will not allow us to see the legal rationale for the war, what are they hiding?"

GOP Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the committee chairman, said Cooper could not supply that opinion as he is not a policymaker.

Cooper sidestepped Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin's questions from Michigan about China and Russia providing intelligence to Iran, urging a classified discussion.

He said the military probe into a strike that hit an Iranian girls' school early in the campaign, killing about 150 people, continues. CBS News reported in early March that a preliminary U.S. review indicated likely responsibility but no intentional targeting and possible error.

The admiral said he felt passionate about avoiding civilian harm and invited senators to Central Command headquarters in Tampa to observe targeting procedures.