Overview
- Adm. Brad Cooper, testifying Thursday to the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Operation Epic Fury met all military goals and sharply reduced Iran’s ability to project power after a roughly six-week air campaign that flew about 10,200 sorties and 13,500 strikes.
- He assessed Iran’s missile, drone and naval industrial base as roughly 90% degraded and said the Iranian navy likely cannot even begin to rebuild for five to ten years, while rejecting public claims that most Iranian missiles survived.
- U.S. forces removed over 90% of an estimated 8,000 Iranian naval mines through more than 700 airstrikes on mine-related targets, a blow to Tehran’s ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Cooper said Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis are now cut off from Iranian weapons flows, though Iran still has nuisance options such as harassment and small drone or rocket attacks.
- He credited close operational help from the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and said CENTCOM worked in tight coordination with Israel throughout the campaign.