US Central Command leader says Iran campaign is ‘ahead or on plan’

The top commander of the US military’s Central Command said the US campaign against Iran is “ahead or on plan.”
US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper gave his first one-on-one interview of the war to the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International, which aired it early Monday.
Iranian media reported new airstrikes targeting Tehran without identifying the sites being hit.
The previous day, Tehran warned it could attack US and Israeli energy and infrastructure assets if Israel or the US attempt to follow through on President Donald Trump ‘s threat that the US would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump — who is facing increasing pressure at home to secure the strait as oil prices soar — issued the ultimatum in a social media post while he spent the weekend at his Florida home.
Cooper said Iran’s continued attacks on Gulf Arab states and the wider Middle East put civilians at risk.
He added that the US and Israel were targeting missile and drone manufacturing sites as well.
“We’re also going after the manufacturing,” he said. “So it’s not just about the threat today. We’re eliminating the threat of the future, both in terms of the drones, the missiles, as well as the navy.”
Cooper also said it is not time for the Iranian public to come to the streets, although both Israel and the US have said they hope the Iranian public would topple the country’s theocracy as a result of the strikes.
“They’re launching missiles and drones from populated areas and you need to stay inside for right now,” Cooper said. “There will be a clear signal at some point, as the president has indicated, for you to be able to come out.”