Reports related to demonstrations and public protests
Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), stated that the United States has "flipped the cost curve" on Iranian drone warfare, indicating that the days of using expensive defenses to counter cheap Iranian drones are over.
![@Open Source Intel: CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper: "[Iran's] capability has been significantly degraded. If I just use my own professional experience, in 100 transits through the Strait of Hormuz, you would typicall](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpub-4357b54df55146feb8261be683c32511.r2.dev%2Fthumbnails%2F1778770822478-82c302b164141d86-lZkKguSbKyT4z0rM.webp&w=3840&q=75)
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper stated that Iran's military capability has been significantly degraded, noting a reduction from 20-40 fast boats to just two or three during recent transits through the Strait of Hormuz.
On [current date], U.S. Central Command redirected 70 commercial vessels linked to Iran and disabled four others as part of ongoing maritime enforcement operations in the region.
Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, is testifying before the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services regarding CENTCOM’s operational posture.
Akbar Mirzaei, 39, died on April 30, 2026, after 123 days in a hospital following severe head injuries from gunfire by government agents during protests in Tehran’s Narmak neighborhood on January 8, 2026.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), will provide testimony on CENTCOM's operational posture this morning.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC that President Trump discussed Iran directly with China, and both nations expressed opposition to militarizing the Strait of Hormuz and rejecting a tolling system.
Mohammad Reza Aref, first deputy to Masoud Pezeshkian, stated that the Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran and declared they will not relinquish control of it at any cost, emphasizing the importance of narrative in warfare.
Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mousavi Aref stated that the Strait of Hormuz "belongs to us," asserting Iran's control over the strategic waterway and indicating that the country has not yet fully utilized its authority there.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in an interview with CNBC that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is in China's interest, and Beijing will work behind the scenes to the extent of its influence over the Islamic Republic to restore access to the strategic waterway.
Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported on May 14 that Chinese ships began passing through the Strait of Hormuz on the evening of May 13, following an agreement between the Islamic Republic and China on protocols for managing the waterway.
John Bolton states that negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran is futile, asserting there is no evidence in 47 years that Iran has abandoned its strategic objective of acquiring nuclear weapons.
