US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that Iran's
By Bernie,
US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that Iran's defense industrial base has been degraded by 90 percent and that Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis are now cut off from Iranian weapons and support. Cooper stated that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, met all three of its core military objectives: degrading Iran's ballistic missile arsenal and production base, its drone arsenal and production base, and its navy. "Each of those systems were significantly degraded. The defense industrial base for their drones and their missiles and their navy were degraded by 90 percent. They have about 10 percent left," Cooper stated. He stated that Iran's navy "will not begin to rebuild for five to 10 years" and that his professional assessment was that Iran would not return to its prewar naval level "for a generation." Cooper pushed back on news reports that Iran retains 70 to 75 percent of its prewar missiles and launchers, calling those figures "not accurate." Drawing on his own service, he stated, "In 100 transits through the Strait of Hormuz, you would typically see 20 to 40 fast-boats. Lately, we've seen two or three." Cooper stated that Iranian-supported armed groups had attacked US troops and diplomats more than 350 times in the 30 months leading up to Operation Epic Fury, killing four US service members and wounding nearly 200, an average of one attack every third day. "Today, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis are all cut off from Iran's weapons supply and support," Cooper stated. "This result was not foreordained, nor was it brought by chance. It's the culmination of months of careful planning, built upon decades of experience."
Topics: Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon & Hezbollah
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