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Pentagon admits US strikes on Iran reaches limit of their effectiveness

26 July 2026 23:40 (UTC +04:00)

Pentagon acknowledges that US strikes on Iran have reached the limit of their effectiveness at this stage, APA reports citing Axios.

According to their data, Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), "recommended halting bombing in the Strait of Hormuz because it had reached the limits of its effectiveness." As the portal notes, Cooper's recommendation, along with that of several US administration officials, "influenced President [US Donald] Trump's decision to suspend strikes on Iran." "This served as an acknowledgment by the president's military and civilian advisers that there are limits to what can be achieved through military action, and especially through airstrikes," the portal notes.

According to Axios, the head of CENTCOM "considers a return to a large-scale military operation, which would allow for strikes on the remaining 20% of U.S.-designated targets" in Iran. "He emphasized that without a decision to resume a large-scale military operation, continuing the bombing campaign that has lasted for the past two weeks makes no sense," the outlet writes. According to its sources, if Trump does not accept the agreement Iran and Oman are working on to open the Strait of Hormuz, "an escalation of the war is possible."