A CENTCOM official told Iranian officials that the hold on the Strait of Hormuz has weakened, but threats remain.

Washington – The head of the US military in the Middle East told senators that the bombing campaign against Iran, called Operation Epic Fury, has achieved all its goals to “significantly reduce” the country’s military power, as Tehran continues to seek control of the army. The Strait of Hormuz.

Admiral Brad Cooper of the US Central Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the US military has destroyed more than 90% of Iran’s 8,000 sea mines to prevent their deployment in the crisis. But he acknowledged that Iran still retains some ability to threaten ships.

“Iran’s ability to stop trade has been dramatically reduced by the crisis, but their voice is very loud, and those threats are clearly felt in the brokerage industry and the insurance industry,” Cooper said Thursday.

Responding to questions from senators from both parties, Cooper said the US has options to reopen the Strait of Hormuz militarily but said that is a decision for policymakers, acknowledging that the vital waterway is at the center of ongoing negotiations aimed at a long-term peace deal.

When asked how long the conflict is expected to last, Cooper indicated that the ceasefire reached on April 7 is still in effect, despite the continuation of the US military blockade of Iranian ports and the exchange of fire last week. The management went he told Congress that the “hostility” with Iran is “over.”

In his written testimony, Cooper said Operation Epic Fury damaged or destroyed more than 85% of Iran’s missile, drone and naval facilities with more than 1,450 strikes on weapons facilities. He told senators that it would take Iran “a generation” to rebuild its navy and years for its drone and missile production to recover.

He said recent reports that Iran is keeping about 70% of its missile arsenal are incorrect, but declined to elaborate because the information is classified. CBS News reported in April that Iran retains at least half of its missiles and explosives.

Cooper said that between November and December 2025, US Central Command began to “see an increase in Iran’s ability and intent” to produce more ballistic missiles. He said this presented a “very serious risk” to the objectives of Operation Epic Fury.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia noted that the House Armed Services Committee did not see an opinion issued by the Justice Department’s Office of the Legal Counsel that justified the president’s authority to launch strikes against Iran.

“We’re being asked to fund a $1.5 trillion budget, but our DOJ request to see the OLC’s opinion justifying this war – they refused to let members of the Armed Services Committee see it,” Kaine said. “If they won’t let us see the legitimate reason for the war, what are they hiding?”

GOP Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the panel’s chairman, noted that Cooper would not be the person to offer that opinion since he is not a policy maker.

Cooper deflected questions from Sen. Democrat Elissa Slotkin of Michigan on whether China and Russia are providing intelligence to Iran, said they should discuss the matter privately.

Cooper said the military’s investigation a strike that hit an Iranian girls’ school at the beginning of the bombing campaign, about 150 people were killed, it is still ongoing. CBS News reported in early March that a the first US test suggested that the US “may” have been responsible for the deadly attack but did not target the school on purpose and may have hit it accidentally.

The attorney told the senators that he is “interested” in preventing casualties and invited them to Central Command headquarters in Tampa to see how the command’s targeting works.

Cooper was also asked about a New York Times report in April that said 22 schools had been hit since the riots began. He said there is no indication that the report is accurate, but when pressed by Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, he said the military has not yet investigated those incidents. He said he will work on a report on whether hospitals or schools have been destroyed in US military strikes.