According to a report by The Times Of Israel on March 23, 2026, the head of the US military’s Central Command, Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, described Iran’s targeting of civilian sites as “operating in a sign of desperation.”
In an interview with the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International, Cooper stated: “They’re operating in a sign of desperation. … In the last couple of weeks, they’ve attacked civilian targets very deliberately, more than 300 times.” He highlighted the dangers posed to civilians across the Gulf Arab states and the broader Middle East due to these attacks.
Discussing the current pace of the conflict, Cooper noted a reduction in Iranian incoming fire as the war enters its fourth week. “At the beginning of the conflict, you saw large volumes in the dozens of drones and missiles,” he said. “You no longer see that. It’s all one or two at a time.”
Cooper emphasized that the US campaign against Iran is progressing as planned. “We’re also going after the manufacturing,” he said, referring to missile and drone production sites. “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.”
Addressing the Iranian public, Cooper said it is not yet safe to protest in the streets, despite hopes from Israel and the US that the strikes might weaken the country’s theocracy. “They’re launching missiles and drones from populated areas and you need to stay inside for right now,” he said. “There will be a clear signal at some point, as the president has indicated, for you to be able to come out.”
Cooper also revealed that Iran’s top military leaders remain “in deep bunkers,” while frontline troops are exposed to ongoing American and Israeli airstrikes.
He noted that Iran International has been a significant concern for Iranian authorities, who have repeatedly claimed to arrest individuals allegedly providing footage to the network. Read_More…