Iran defies Trump’s threat to expand war if Strait of Hormuz not reopened

The head of the U.S. military’s Central Command says Iran is “operating in a sign of desperation” by targeting civilian sites in the war.

In an interview with the Farsi-language Iranian opposition satellite network Iran International that aired early Monday, U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper said: “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.”

Cooper noted a slowdown in Iranian incoming fire across the Mideast as the war entered its fourth week.

“At the beginning of the conflict, you saw large volumes, in the dozens of drones and missiles,” Cooper said. “You no longer see that. It’s all one or two at a time.”

Cooper said the U.S. campaign against Iran was continuing “ahead or on plan,” targeting missile and drone manufacturing sites as well other military infrastructure.

“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,” he told Iran International.

Cooper said it wasn’t yet time for the Iranian public to come to the streets, citing the ongoing risks from the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.

“They’re launching missiles and drones from populated areas and you need to stay inside for right now,” Cooper said. 

Both the Israeli and U.S. governments have voiced hope that the Iranian public will rise up and topple the country’s nearly-half-century-old ruling Islamic theocracy, and Cooper said “there will be a clear signal at some point, as the president has indicated, for you to be able to come out.”

CBS/AP