▲ U.S. President Donald Trump
The head of the U.S. Central Command, who leads the frontline military operations against Iran, has reportedly advised halting airstrikes, stating that the effectiveness of limited strikes around the Strait of Hormuz has reached its limit. This is known to have influenced U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to temporarily suspend airstrikes against Iran.
Citing sources, the U.S. online media outlet Axios reported that U.S. Central Command Deputy Commander Brad Cooper recently delivered a recommendation containing these assessments to the Department of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the White House.
Axios evaluated this as an acknowledgment by the president's military and civilian advisors that there are limits to what can be achieved through military action alone, particularly operations reliant on air power.
Commander Cooper assessed that approximately two weeks of airstrikes around the Strait of Hormuz have significantly weakened Iran's ship-attack capabilities, and that most of the major pre-selected targets for the U.S. military have already been struck and exhausted.
He mentioned that a next step could involve resuming full-scale combat to strike the remaining roughly 20 percent of targets that had been designated during the U.S. military's Operation Epic Fury but not yet attacked.
However, he emphasized that unless full-scale attacks are resumed, continuing airstrikes at the same level as the past two weeks would yield no practical benefits.
According to sources, President Trump instructed the military to temporarily suspend airstrikes around the Strait of Hormuz after receiving a briefing from senior advisors and military leadership on the direction of future military operations on the 24th.
It is reported that he had been leaning toward resuming full-scale combat until before the meeting, but began changing his mind starting on the evening of the 23rd.
Axios also reported that U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine privately warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump that a shortage of air defense interceptor missiles could weaken the defense capabilities of U.S. forces and allies stationed in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, diplomatic negotiations to ease tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are continuing.
Iran and Oman are continuing discussions on a new operating plan for the Strait of Hormuz to guarantee the safe navigation of vessels.
However, it remains uncertain whether any agreement between the two countries will be accepted by President Trump.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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