US commander recommends halting Iran airstrikes near Hormuz Strait

U.S. military leaders advised President Donald Trump to cease airstrikes against Iran near the Strait of Hormuz, concluding that two weeks of operations had achieved their maximum impact. Admiral Brad Cooper, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, determined that the campaign had hit its effectiveness ceiling, as most designated targets were already struck.

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the operation conducted near the Strait of Hormuz had reached the limit of its effectiveness, with most of the targeted objectives already hit.

Sources familiar with Cooper's assessment indicated that the operation's utility had waned. His recommendation, alongside input from other advisors, influenced Trump's decision to suspend U.S. attacks on Iran. This move acknowledges the limitations of using force, particularly aerial campaigns, in generating continuous strategic results.

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the operation had reached its limit of effectiveness.

For the first time in two weeks, Trump ordered the military to halt attacks on Iranian targets. The decision followed a meeting where advisors presented a new strike plan. Trump had previously leaned towards resuming large-scale military operations, but his stance shifted, leading to the de-escalation of strikes in the Strait of Hormuz area.

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the use of force has limits - especially in the case of an air campaign, which cannot indefinitely generate new strategic results.

Cooper had previously informed the Pentagon and the White House that the two weeks of strikes had significantly degraded Iran's capacity to attack commercial vessels. He noted that continuing the attacks in their current format lacked strategic sense without a decision to escalate to a larger military campaign. The spokesperson for the Central Command stated that the majority of targets had been exhausted.

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the two weeks of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz area had considerably weakened Iran's ability to attack commercial vessels.