“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 in a video. “The sum total of these actions has imposed devastating costs on Iran’s security apparatus and the IRGC specifically.
” Centcom forces have been readying for a possible restart of major combat operations versus Iran while the U.S. has continued to inflict economic pain on the Islamic Republic with sanctions and the naval blockade. The U.S. military restarted the blockade in July, which is enforced by Navy ships and other assets in the region, to prevent Iranian ships from entering and departing the country’s ports.
Cooper said the U.S. government has helped freeze $350 million of cryptocurrency owned by Iran, and the U.S. military has helped 400 vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz in the last week. The admiral said the pressure campaign is paying off, with the Islamic Republic feeling the pain across all economic sectors.
“Iran’s government is withholding salaries, pensions and benefits to workers in industries such as oil and energy, manufacturing, construction, security, and the IRGC itself,” Cooper said in the video. “The financial strain on Iran’s military has become so significant that there are reports of Iran-aligned militia groups across the region withholding payments to their soldiers in order to funnel money back to the IRGC, which also is not paying its troops,” he said.