Michael Hernandez
14 May 2026•Update: 14 May 2026
Iran was in the possession of highly enriched uranium before the US and Israel went to war against that country earlier this year, the head of US Central Command told lawmakers Thursday.
Asked by a senator on the Senate Armed Services Committee if Iran had uranium enriched up to 60%, Adm. Brad Cooper said, "Yes, sir. They did."
Cooper maintained that there is no civilian use for uranium enriched to that threshold, and said the war has increased the amount of time it would take for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.
The senior military official declined to comment when asked if securing the nuclear material would require the US to put boots on the ground in Iran.
Cooper alleged that in late 2025, Iran dramatically increased its ballistic missile program, but maintained that its capabilities across the board have been highly eroded from US and Israeli attacks.
"Starting in about November and December, you started to see an increase in Iran's capability and intent to produce more ballistics," he said. "Iran had a large-scale capability to produce ballistic missiles beyond which could potentially be defended. I think that's a very important point. The second point is that capability has been virtually eliminated."
It will take years for Iran to rebuild its ballistic missile and drone programs, and a "full generation" for Tehran to reconstitute its navy, said Cooper.
He said that as an additional result of the war, Iran is no longer able to assist its regional allies, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi rebels.
"As we sit here today, they are unable to resource and supply Hezbollah, Hamas or the Houthis," he said in response to a question from Sen. Tom Cotton.
Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran on April 8, followed by critical talks in Islamabad attended by senior delegations from both countries on April 11 and 12.
Neither side, however, was able to reach an agreement to bring the war to an end.
The two sides have since been exchanging formulas and counter-formulas to reach a middle ground to resume a second round of direct talks to end the conflict that has already disrupted global energy supplies and daily lives across the region.
