US top military commander recommended stopping bombing campaign around Strait of Hormuz: Report

WASHINGTON: The commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Adm Brad Cooper, had recommended stopping the bombing campaign around the Strait of Hormuz, noting that it has reached the limit of its effectiveness, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

According to the report by Axios citing the sources, it mentioned that the recommendation by Adm Cooper comes along with several other advisers- civil and military- which impacted US President Donald Trump’s decision on Friday to put a halt to the American military strikes against Iran.

It was an acknowledgement by both military and civilian advisers to the president that there are limits to what can be accomplished through military action, and specifically an air power campaign.

Meanwhile, it noted that the CENTCOM commander said a possible next step would be to resume major combat operations to finish the 20% of targets the U.S. military designated but didn’t strike during Operation Epic Fury.

He, however, stressed that there was no point in continuing the bombing campaign of the previous two weeks, the sources said.

CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper recommended stopping the bombing campaign around the Strait of Hormuz because it has reached the limit of its effectiveness – Axios https://t.co/tiQQyQMnd9 pic.twitter.com/nTvT8e90kE

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Sources also said that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, also cautioned Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and President Trump in private that a shortage of air defence interceptors could hamper the ability to protect U.S. forces and allies in the region.

His warning was first reported by the New York Times. However, a spokesman for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff declined to comment “on confidential military advice the Chairman provides the President”.

As per Axios, the decision came after a meeting with top advisers and military officials who presented him with a new strike plan for the day. Citing sources it noted that prior to the meeting, Trump had been leaning toward returning to major combat operations, but his mindset started to change on Thursday evening.

Cooper noted that the designated bombing targets had been mostly exhausted. The halt in strikes comes as Iran and Oman continue to hold discussions on the arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and the talks have progressed positively and entered into their second day now, CBS reported, citing two regional sources.

The CBS report further observed that the Iranian military said it halted retaliatory attacks against American allies in West Asia, after Washington paused its strikes on Iran for the last two nights.

As the situation continues to evolve in the region, the US and UK are still discussing the international conference they want to convene later this week on establishing a coalition to protect and clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz, although no final date for the meeting has been set.

Meanwhile, CNN reported that the Pentagon updated its war casualty database on Saturday, recording more than 140 additional wounded and restoring the four soldiers killed due to Iranian strikes last week amid questions about a lack of transparency over the war’s toll.

According to CNN, when the new Pentagon data is combined with updated totals for Operation Epic Fury, 18 troops have died, and another 624 have been wounded since the beginning of the conflict against Iran on February 28 this year. The number of wounded is a significant increase from the previous peak of 482 observed by CNN last week. (ANI)