Top US commander in Mideast says Iran’s proxies sending money back to IRGC due to cash crunch

Today, 2:44 am

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Adm. Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, appears before a House Committee on Armed Services hearing on Capitol Hill, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of US Central Command, cites reports of “Iran-aligned militia groups across the region withholding payments from their soldiers in order to funnel money back to” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“The Islamic regime is clearly feeling the economic pain and the IRGC is increasingly showing signs of greater desperation as a result,” Cooper says in a video statement touting the US military’s campaign against Iran.

He also stresses: “The Strait of Hormuz is controlled by the United States and our regional partners, not Iran.”