US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper has claimed that Iran is effectively unable to conduct maritime imports or exports, apart from permitted humanitarian shipments, as Washington expands efforts to restrict Tehran’s oil revenues and military financing.
In a video statement released on Friday, Cooper outlined three priorities in the US campaign: blocking Iranian oil exports, disrupting digital financial networks and limiting the ability of Iranian security forces to pay their personnel.
“As a point of emphasis, with the exception of the humanitarian assistance we’ve allowed in, Iran has no exports and no imports by sea,” Cooper said.
According to the CENTCOM commander, US operations have prevented Iran from exporting crude oil worth at least $25 billion in recent months.
He also claimed that American military efforts had contributed to the freezing of substantial cryptocurrency assets linked to Iranian financing networks.
“CENTCOM has also supported US interagency partners in freezing nearly $350 million in digital cryptocurrency assets, further constricting Iran’s ability to fund terrorism or replace weapons and factories that we destroy,” he said.
Cooper further alleged that Iran-aligned armed groups across the Middle East had begun withholding payments from their fighters and redirecting funds towards the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
He claimed that the IRGC itself was experiencing difficulties paying its personnel, describing the situation as evidence of growing financial pressure on Tehran.
“The Islamic regime is clearly feeling the economic pain, and the IRGC is increasingly showing signs of greater desperation as a result,” Cooper said.
US Says Strait of Hormuz Remains Open to Commercial Shipping
Despite the restrictions Washington says it has imposed on Iranian maritime trade, Cooper maintained that international shipping continued to operate through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
He accused Iran of attacking commercial vessels and said American forces were coordinating with regional governments and shipping industry representatives to protect maritime traffic.
“Let me be clear: the Strait of Hormuz is controlled by the United States and our regional partners, not Iran, and it remains open for business,” Cooper stated.
The CENTCOM commander reported that approximately 400 merchant vessels had passed through the strait during the preceding seven days.
He also said US forces had assisted Gulf partners in moving more than 100 million barrels of crude oil through the waterway over the same period.
According to Cooper, the total quantity of oil transported with American assistance in recent months has exceeded 1.3 billion barrels.
His remarks presented the US campaign as an effort to restrict Iran’s economic and military resources while maintaining commercial shipping and energy exports from other Gulf countries.
The figures and assertions concerning Iran’s maritime trade, frozen assets and military finances were provided by US officials and have not been independently verified.