CENTCOM chief says US and Israel ‘eliminated’ Iran’s conventional military capability

By Emanuel Fabian

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9 April 2026, 3:14 pm

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Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

The chief of the US Central Command says the American and Israeli militaries have “clearly accomplished” the task of degrading Iran’s military capabilities.

“We set out to dismantle the Iranian regime’s ability to project power beyond its own borders, and we clearly accomplished this task. Iran has suffered a generational military defeat. The United States and Israel systematically destroyed Iran’s ability to conduct large-scale military operations for years to come,” says CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper in a video statement.

He says that “Iran’s conventional military capability, built over 40 years at the cost of billions of dollars, has been eliminated.”

“After successfully conducting more than 13,000 strikes on Iranian military targets and flying thousands upon thousands of combat flights, US forces have paused offensive operations in accordance with the ongoing ceasefire,” Cooper says.

“However, we remain present, we remain vigilant, and we remain ready if called,” he says, adding that the American military also continues “to stand shoulder to shoulder with our regional partners in maintaining the most sophisticated and largest active air defense umbrella in the world.”