Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), urged the Trump administration to stop its bombing campaign around the Strait of Hormuz, saying the operation had achieved most of its objectives and that further strikes were unlikely to deliver significant gains, according to a media report citing informed sources.

The recommendation reportedly played a key role in President Donald Trump’s decision on Friday to pause US strikes against Iran, reflecting growing recognition among military and civilian advisers that further air operations would yield diminishing returns.

According to the report, Trump ordered the military to suspend strikes on Iranian targets along the country’s southern coastline and around the Strait of Hormuz for the first time in two weeks following a meeting with senior national security and military officials.

The meeting came after advisers presented the president with updated military options.

While Trump had reportedly been leaning towards resuming large-scale combat operations earlier in the week, sources said his position began to shift on Thursday before he formally decided to pause the campaign on Friday.

Officials familiar with the discussions said Admiral Cooper had informed the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the White House that two weeks of sustained strikes had significantly weakened Iran’s ability to target commercial shipping in the strategic waterway.

However, he reportedly concluded that most of the designated targets had already been destroyed, leaving little value in continuing the existing air campaign.

According to the report, Cooper said the remaining option would be to launch a broader military offensive targeting the roughly 20% of objectives that had not been struck during Operation Epic Fury.

Without such a decision, he argued, there was little justification for continuing the limited bombing campaign.

CENTCOM declined to comment on the report.

The report also said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine privately warned Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump that dwindling stocks of air defence interceptors could affect the US military’s ability to protect American forces and regional allies if the conflict escalates.

Despite the pause in military operations, diplomatic efforts remain under way.

Iran and Oman are reportedly negotiating a new arrangement aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring the safe passage of commercial shipping without further attacks.

It remains uncertain, however, whether Washington would accept any agreement brokered between Tehran and Muscat, meaning the risk of renewed fighting has yet to be ruled out.