By Phil Stewart and Doina Chiacu
May 14 (Reuters) - U.S. bombings have dealt a major blow to Iran's military and its defense industry, leaving Tehran with only a small or perhaps very moderate ability to strike its neighbors, the U.S. admiral commanding the war effort said on Thursday.
The remarks by Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, follow reports by Reuters and other news organizations that cite U.S. intelligence suggesting Iran retains a significant missile, drone and small boat
capability.
Those capabilities have allowed Iran to continue striking neighbors, particularly the UAE, and pose a sustained threat to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy chokepoint.
That Iranian defiance has roiled energy markets, led the U.S. military to impose a naval blockade on Iran and cast global doubt on U.S. President Donald Trump's public claims of victory.
Cooper declined to offer specific estimates of Iran's remaining missile and drone inventories but played down their significance, saying the U.S. military had achieved all of its objectives in its strikes on Iran.
He said Iran's defense industry has been set back by 90%.
"They have a very moderate, if not small, capability to continue strikes," Cooper told a U.S. Senate committee. "And we, of course, have accordingly prepared for such a contingency."
Iran was not only militarily weakened at home but also in the broader Middle East, Cooper said, adding Tehran is no longer able to transfer arms and other resources to its main allies in the region: Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
"Those transfer paths and methods have been cut off," he said.
DOUBTS OVER WAR
A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday showed two out of three Americans think Trump has not clearly explained why the country went to war with Iran and revealed deep concerns about surging gasoline prices.
The poll also suggested many voters are casting blame for their troubles on Trump's Republican allies who will be defending their congressional majorities in the November midterm elections.
Trump said his aims in starting the war were to destroy Iran's nuclear program, end its capability to attack its neighbors and make it easier for Iranians to overthrow their government.
Still, peace talks have stalled since an April 8 ceasefire amid U.S. demands that include the removal of Iran's highly enriched uranium and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Experts caution that Iranian hardliners appear firmly in control after U.S. and Israeli strikes killed other senior leaders.
Violence has periodically flared, with an exchange of fire last week between the U.S. and Iran, and Trump acknowledged earlier this week the ceasefire was on life support.
Cooper sought to focus on tactical as opposed to strategic aims of the war during his testimony.
He declined to respond to questions about how to reopen the strait, secure Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpiles or bring the conflict to a close on America's terms, saying the information was classified, or deferring to Trump administration officials on policy matters.
"I speak from a military perspective. We have significantly degraded their drone, missile, and naval capabilities. We've fractured their command and control. We've eliminated the large preponderance of their space program. They, by every measure, are degraded significantly across all measures of national power," Cooper told the committee.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, responded: "So what's your exit strategy to end the conflict with Iran?" "Senator, that's a policy decision," Cooper responded.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Paul Simao and Sanjeev Miglani)
