The U.S. and Israeli militaries have "clearly accomplished" their goal of dismantling the Iranian regime's military capabilities, according to Adm. Brad Cooper, chief of U.S. Central Command.

"We set out to dismantle the Iranian regime's ability to project power beyond its own borders, and we clearly accomplished this task," Cooper said in a video statement posted to X on Thursday.

"Iran has suffered a generational military defeat," he added. "The United States and Israel systematically destroyed Iran's ability to conduct large-scale military operations for years to come."

This means, Cooper said, that "Iran's conventional military capability, built over 40 years at the cost of billions of dollars, has been eliminated."

Still, Cooper said that the United States must remain present and vigilant, and "we remain ready if called."

"After successfully conducting more than 13,000 strikes on Iranian military targets and flying thousands upon thousands of combat flights, U.S. forces have paused offensive operations in accordance with the ongoing ceasefire," he said.

The American military, meanwhile, continues "to stand shoulder to shoulder with our regional partners in maintaining the most sophisticated and largest active air defense umbrella in the world," added Cooper.

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