Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas are significantly degraded, but they could pose future problems by “going underground”, the nominee to head the US Central Command said on Tuesday.
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper was speaking before a Senate Armed Forces Committee hearing focused on his selection to lead Centcom, which is tasked with overseeing US military interests and assets in the Middle East.
“As we've seen throughout the region, groups are going underground, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis. This is a serious issue that we will have to look at in the future,” he said.
He added that, having visited Israel's subterranean commando unit that goes after groups that operate from tunnels, he suggested focusing on sensors and ammunition to combat the threat.
Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza and is engaged in a protracted war with Israel, relies on an extensive network of tunnels. Using these tunnels, the group has been able to carry out attacks – including the 2023 offensive on southern Israel – build weapons, and smuggle materials and people throughout the coastal enclave and even across borders.
“Whether we're talking about Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, the Iranians, other adversaries are clearly watching and see where they can gain advantage,” Vice Admiral Cooper said.
With regard to Iran, Vice Admiral Cooper acknowledged the possibility of an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz but said Centcom was ready to respond.
“It is a complex problem, for sure, but it's a small, narrow waterway,” he told senators. “The key to this is getting to the left of the problem, establishing a deterrent posture, which we have today, and then keeping our eyes on Iranian activity.”
Iran's Parliament on Sunday threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which about 20 per cent of the world's petroleum is shipped, in response to US strikes on Tehran's nuclear infrastructure a day earlier. Closing it could have dire consequences for global energy markets.
Senators raised the idea that Iran could attempt to lay mines across the strait, blocking commercial traffic, and asked how quickly the US could respond. Vice Admiral Cooper said the specifics were highly classified, “but historically in mine warfare, nothing happens quickly – I think we would think of this in terms of weeks and months, not days”.
The US on Saturday carried out an attack against three sites that make up the core of Iran's nuclear programme, out of fear the country had been close to developing a nuclear weapon. Israel launched a “pre-emptive” attack on Iran days earlier, with the stated goal of stopping it from building a nuclear weapon.
A damage assessment is continuing and it is unclear whether the strikes resulted in the obliteration of Iran's uranium enrichment capabilities, as has been claimed by the White House.
But Vice Admiral Cooper said the world is a safer place with Iran being pushed farther away from building a nuclear weapon.
He added, however, that Iran still has “significant tactical capability” despite the strike, as demonstrated by its limited retaliatory missile strike on a US military base in Qatar. Responding to a senator who asked whether Tehran still poses a threat to US troops and Americans, he said: “They do.”
On the Iran-backed Houthis, with the ceasefire between the Yemeni group and the US having lasted 40 days, Vice Admiral Cooper said the ball was in their court.
“We're prepared for a range of actions, but I think the policies associated with the ceasefire remain in place, and we'll just be prepared, from a military perspective, for a wide range of contingencies,” he said, noting that freedom of navigation has been restored to the Red Sea.
US President Donald Trump ordered an intense, daily bombing campaign of Houthi positions in Yemen after the group continued to launch strikes against commercial shipping. The Houthis, who are allied to Hamas, began striking commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea with the advent of the Israel-Gaza war, vowing to target any ship believed to be connected to Israel.
Despite the ceasefire and restored freedom of navigation, Vice Admiral Cooper cautioned that “it took several months for the flow of commerce to leave the Red Sea; I would expect it's going to take several months for it to fully come back”.
Lt Gen Alexus Grynkewich, who appeared alongside Vice Admiral Cooper to make his case for becoming Supreme Allied Commander Europe, added that the “Houthis are likely to be a persistent problem”.
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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6027 – Dh 100
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Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Scorebox
Dubai Hurricanes 31 Dubai Sports City Eagles 22
Hurricanes
Tries: Finck, Powell, Jordan, Roderick, Heathcote
Cons: Tredray 2, Powell
Eagles
Tries: O’Driscoll 2, Ives
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey
Scores
Oman 109-3 in 18.4 overs (Aqib Ilyas 45 not out, Aamir Kaleem 27) beat UAE 108-9 in 20 overs (Usman 27, Mustafa 24, Fayyaz 3-16, Bilal 3-23)
MATCH INFO
Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Race card
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
