The nominee for commander of the US Central Command, Brad Cooper, said that Iran maintains “significant tactical capabilities” despite the damage dealt to its military infrastructure.
Cooper’s remarks came during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, in response to a question about his assessment of the state of Iran’s armed forces.
He noted that Iran demonstrated some of its capabilities during the attack on the US Al Udeid base in Qatar on June 23, stressing that Iran still poses a “serious threat” to US forces in the Middle East.
Regarding the possibility of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, Cooper said that US forces would have detected any attempts to place mines in the strait’s waters had Tehran done so.
“We have a good understanding of what that looks like, and we’re watching them closely, and we would have known about it,” he added.
