The commander of the United States Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, stated that the ongoing military operations against Iran have entered a phase aimed at preventing the country from rebuilding its military capabilities in the future.
During a press conference held in Tampa, the head of the United States Central Command explained that the strategy is not limited to destroying the existing arsenal, but aims to neutralize the structures that enable the production of new missiles.
Cooper stated that President Donald Trump has assigned a specific task within the military offensive.
"POTUS assigned us another task: to destroy or devastate Iran's ballistic missile industrial base," the admiral stated, referencing the presidential order.
According to the explanation, the aim is to permanently eliminate the infrastructure that supports that armament program.
The commander emphasized that the operation aims to go beyond conventional attacks on military facilities or already deployed arsenals.
"We are not only attacking what they have, we are destroying their ability to rebuild," said Cooper, who added that U.S. forces are working to "systematically dismantle Iran's missile production capability for the future, and that is well underway."
During his speech, the head of Centcom also presented an assessment of the results achieved so far on the battlefield.
According to their data, the attacks launched by Iran have significantly decreased since the onset of the military operation.
"If I look back over the last 24 hours of the operation, comparing them to the starting point, missile attacks have decreased by 90%," Cooper noted.
He also assured that drone offensives have decreased significantly.
"The drone attacks have decreased by 83%," he added.
The admiral also indicated that the allied forces have inflicted significant damage on Iranian naval infrastructure. According to his operational report, "we now have more than 30 destroyed ships," reflecting the impact of the military campaign on the country's defensive apparatus.
The statements from the head of Central Command come amid a continuing escalation of hostilities that is part of a broader military operation led by Washington and its allies in the region.
President Donald Trump has publicly defended the offensive and stated that U.S. forces are decisively weakening the Iranian regime.
During an event at the White House held to honor Inter Miami CF, the President stated that the military campaign has drastically reduced Iran's operational capabilities.
"We are completely demolishing the enemy, much earlier than expected and at levels that people have never seen before," Trump stated regarding the progress of the operations. According to the president, the impact on Iranian military infrastructure has been profound.
The president stated that a large part of the country's defensive systems have become inoperable.
"They have no air force, they have no air defense, all their planes have disappeared, their communications have disappeared, the missiles have disappeared, the launchers have disappeared," he asserted, noting that approximately 60% of the missiles and 64% of the launchers have been eliminated.
Trump also sent a direct message to the members of the Iranian armed forces and the regime's security bodies.
"Once again, I urge all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the army, and the police to lay down their arms. They will only be killed," he stated, encouraging them to abandon the fight.
The statements come in the context of the military campaign known as Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, 2026, by the United States and Israel against strategic targets in Iran.
In the first 72 hours of the offensive, the allied forces attacked over 1,700 targets, including nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow, Revolutionary Guard installations, air defenses, and naval units.
Amid the initial bombings of the operation, the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, who had governed the country since 1989, died. Following his death, the command structure of the regime sustained a severe blow: at least 49 senior officials and military commanders have been eliminated, including leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Trump has indicated that the military campaign could last several more weeks. He estimated that the operations could continue for between four and five weeks, although he warned that the timeline could be extended if the strategic objectives have not yet been achieved.
The Republican leader also made it clear that Washington will not accept a political agreement that allows the regime to remain in power.
In recent statements, he claimed that he would only consider an "unconditional surrender," while outlining a vision for the future of the country under the slogan "Make Iran Great Again," promising that the United States and its allies would help rebuild the Iranian economy once a new leadership is established.
As the fighting continues, U.S. military command insists that the campaign is progressing toward its strategic objectives, now focused on preventing Iran from regaining its military capabilities in the coming years.
Filed under: