Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, defended the U.S. military’s conduct in Operation Epic Fury on Tuesday after House Democrats pressed him over a deadly February 28 strike in Minab, Iran that reportedly killed more than 150 people, including numerous schoolchildren.
During testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Cooper described the site as an “active IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) cruise missile base” while confirming the Pentagon remains investigating whether U.S. forces were responsible for the attack.
The exchange underscored escalating Democratic criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of hostilities with Iran, with lawmakers arguing the Minab strike reflects broader concerns about civilian casualties and operational transparency. Ranking Member Adam Smith, D-Wash., stated during the hearing that “it’s really pretty clear what happened there,” accusing the administration of refusing to acknowledge responsibility over 80 days after the incident.
The Pentagon has not publicly identified the officer leading the inquiry into the strike, and officials remain uncertain whether the school was deliberately targeted, accidentally struck, or part of a broader military complex. Cooper’s characterization of the site as an Iranian Revolutionary Guard missile installation appears designed to reinforce the administration’s claim that Iran has embedded military infrastructure within civilian areas through the conflict.
The controversy intensifies as Cooper and the Trump administration continue to portray Operation Epic Fury as a historic strategic success that dismantled Iran’s military capabilities and crippled its regional proxy networks. In prepared testimony submitted last week, Cooper argued the operation “rolled back 40 years of Iranian military investment” and left Tehran unable to “project power across the region” at prewar levels. He reported U.S. and allied forces conducted more than 13,500 strikes during the 38-day campaign, targeting Iran’s missile production, drone infrastructure, naval assets, and command-and-control systems.
Cooper further framed the conflict as the culmination of decades of Iranian aggression dating to 1979, noting Tehran had spent years destabilizing the Middle East through groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthi movement. He asserted the operation created “a generational opening” to reshape regional security architecture while significantly weakening Iran’s capacity to arm allied terrorist organizations.
