US military defends Iran strikes amid Senate showdown over strategy

The Trump administrationrsquos military campaign against Iran came under intense scrutiny during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee where senior US military officials defended the strikes and claimed Tehranrsquos military infrastructure had been significantly damagedAppearing before lawmakers in Washington Admiral Charles Cooper II defended Operation Epic Fury stating that US forces had successfully reduced Iranrsquos ability to project military power across the Middle EastldquoIn less than 40 days Centcom forces achieved our military objectivesrdquo Cooper told senators during the hearing He added that the operation had weakened Iranrsquos capacity to threaten regional stability and target American interests in the regionAccording to Cooper Iranrsquos missile drone and naval industrial infrastructure had been degraded by nearly 90 per cent during the operation He also claimed that Tehranrsquos naval forces may take decades to recover to their earlier operational strengthRepublican senators back administrationrsquos military campaignSeveral Republican lawmakers strongly supported the administrationrsquos actions and defended the military strategy adopted against IranSenator Roger Wicker argued that Iran had spent decades supporting militant groups targeting US interests and expanding its nuclear and ballistic missile programmesDuring the hearing Cooper reiterated that the Iranian leadership had consistently maintained hostility toward the United States as a central element of its foreign policySenator Tom Cotton said Iran was now ldquosignificantly less of a threatrdquo compared to the period before the military operation began Cooper agreed with the assessment and stated that Tehran could no longer carry out largescale missile and drone attacks similar to those seen in recent yearsDemocrats question longterm strategy and diplomatic approachDemocratic lawmakers however raised concerns over the administrationrsquos broader strategy and warned about the longterm consequences of continued military escalation in the Middle EastSenator Jack Reed said there was ldquono purely military solutionrdquo to Iranrsquos nuclear issue and criticised the administration for failing to present what he described as a credible longterm strategySenator Tim Kaine accused the administration of moving away from diplomatic engagement and cautioned against another prolonged conflict in the regionldquoIf you make diplomacy impossible you will make war inevitablerdquo Kaine said during the hearingThe sharp exchanges reflected growing divisions in Washington over how the United States should handle rising tensions with Iran and maintain stability in the Middle EastStrait of Hormuz concerns dominate economic discussionsSeveral lawmakers also focused on the impact of the conflict on global energy markets and maritime trade particularly after the disruption of shipping activity through the strategically important Strait of HormuzSenators warned that instability in the waterway was already contributing to rising fuel and transportation costs for American consumers and global marketsCooper acknowledged that Iran still retained ldquosome residual capabilityrdquo to threaten shipping routes and regional infrastructure although he maintained that those capabilities had been ldquodramatically degradedrdquo following the US operationThe Strait of Hormuz remains one of the worldrsquos most critical oil transit routes and any prolonged disruption could significantly affect global crude oil supplies and pricesUS military warns about rising terrorism threats in AfricaThe hearing also shifted focus toward security concerns in Africa where General Dagvin Anderson warned lawmakers that the continent had become ldquothe epicenter of global terrorismrdquoAnderson said terrorist organisations linked to ISIS and Al Qaeda were expanding their presence across the Sahel region and Somalia raising concerns about regional instability and international securityHe also warned that China and Russia were increasing their strategic influence across Africa through infrastructure investments military cooperation and information campaignsAccording to Anderson intelligence gaps in several African regions were becoming a growing concern for US national security and counterterrorism effortsWith inputs from IANS