The top commander of the U.S. military’s Central Command said the campaign against Iran is “ahead or on plan,” as the Israeli military began what it called “a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting Iranian terror regime infrastructure” early Monday.U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper gave his first one-on-one interview of the war to the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International, which aired it early Monday. Iranian media reported new airstrikes targeting Tehran without identifying the sites being hit.Video above: President Trump issues ultimatum to Iran over Strait of Hormuz closureThe previous day, Tehran warned it could attack U.S. and Israeli energy and infrastructure assets if Israel or the U.S. attempted to follow through on President Donald Trump’s threat that the U.S. would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz. Trump — who is facing increasing pressure at home to secure the strait as oil prices soar — issued the ultimatum in a social media post while he spent the weekend at his Florida home.The death toll from the war has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 U.S. military members, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced. Trump reiterates his ‘peace through strength’ sloganU.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social website early Monday: “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, TO PUT IT MILDLY!!!”As Trump’s deadline on opening the Strait of Hormuz approaches, Iran on Monday threatened to attack Mideast electrical plants powering American military bases.The statement from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard marks the latest attempt by Tehran to try and explain its attacks on the Gulf Arab countries.Iranian state television read out the statement on air Monday morning.“What we have done is to announce our decision that if the power plants are attacked, Iran will retaliate by targeting the power plants of the occupying regime and the power plants of regional countries that supply electricity to US bases, as well as the economic, industrial and energy infrastructures in which Americans have shares,” the statement said, referring to Israel as an “occupying regime.”It added: “Do not doubt that we will do this.”Trump warned early Sunday morning that the U.S. will target Iranian power plants in 48 hours if the strait remains effectively closed by Iranian fire on shipping.US Central Command’s Cooper says Iran ‘operating in a sign of desperation’The head of the U.S. military’s Central Command says Iran is “operating in a sign of desperation” by targeting civilian sites in the war.In an interview with the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International aired early Monday, U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper said: “They’re operating in a sign of desperation. … In the last couple of weeks, they’ve attacked civilian targets very deliberately, more than 300 times.”Cooper also noted the slowdown in Iranian incoming fire across the Mideast as the war has entered its fourth week.“At the beginning of the conflict, you saw large volumes in the dozens of drones and missiles,” Cooper said.“You no longer see that. It’s all one or two at a time.”The top commander of the U.S. military’s Central Command said the U.S. campaign against Iran is “ahead or on plan.”U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper gave his first one-on-one interview of the war to the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International, which aired it early Monday.Cooper said Iran’s continued attacks on Gulf Arab states and the wider Mideast put civilians at risk.He added that the U.S. and Israel were targeting missile and drone manufacturing sites as well.”We’re also going after the manufacturing,” he said. “So it’s not just about the threat today. We’re eliminating the threat of the future, both in terms of the drones, the missiles, as well as the navy.”Cooper also said it isn’t time for the Iranian public to come to the streets, although both Israel and the U.S. have said they hope the Iranian public would topple the country’s theocracy as a result of the strikes.”They’re launching missiles and drones from populated areas and you need to stay inside for right now,” Cooper said. “There will be a clear signal at some point, as the president has indicated, for you to be able to come out.”Latest reports of live fire 1. An Indian living in the United Arab Emirates was hurt by falling shrapnel after the interception of a ballistic missile over an industrial area near Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, authorities said Monday 2. Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said Monday it intercepted a ballistic missile targeting the kingdom’s capital, Riyadh, while another struck an “uninhabited area” 3. The United Arab Emirates said its air defense were working to intercept incoming missiles from Iran early Monday, without elaborating. 4. Both Bahrain and Kuwait sounded missile alerts early Monday over incoming Iranian fire, though it wasn’t clear if there was any immediate damage from the barrages.

The top commander of the U.S. military’s Central Command said the campaign against Iran is “ahead or on plan,” as the Israeli military began what it called “a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting Iranian terror regime infrastructure” early Monday.

U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper gave his first one-on-one interview of the war to the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International, which aired it early Monday. Iranian media reported new airstrikes targeting Tehran without identifying the sites being hit.

Video above: President Trump issues ultimatum to Iran over Strait of Hormuz closure

The previous day, Tehran warned it could attack U.S. and Israeli energy and infrastructure assets if Israel or the U.S. attempted to follow through on President Donald Trump’s threat that the U.S. would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump — who is facing increasing pressure at home to secure the strait as oil prices soar — issued the ultimatum in a social media post while he spent the weekend at his Florida home.

The death toll from the war has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 U.S. military members, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.

Trump reiterates his ‘peace through strength’ slogan

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social website early Monday: “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, TO PUT IT MILDLY!!!”

US Central Command’s Cooper says Iran ‘operating in a sign of desperation’

The head of the U.S. military’s Central Command says Iran is “operating in a sign of desperation” by targeting civilian sites in the war.

In an interview with the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International aired early Monday, U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper said: “They’re operating in a sign of desperation. … In the last couple of weeks, they’ve attacked civilian targets very deliberately, more than 300 times.”

Cooper also noted the slowdown in Iranian incoming fire across the Mideast as the war has entered its fourth week.

“At the beginning of the conflict, you saw large volumes in the dozens of drones and missiles,” Cooper said.

“You no longer see that. It’s all one or two at a time.”

The top commander of the U.S. military’s Central Command said the U.S. campaign against Iran is “ahead or on plan.”

U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper gave his first one-on-one interview of the war to the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International, which aired it early Monday.

Cooper said Iran’s continued attacks on Gulf Arab states and the wider Mideast put civilians at risk.

He added that the U.S. and Israel were targeting missile and drone manufacturing sites as well.

“We’re also going after the manufacturing,” he said. “So it’s not just about the threat today. We’re eliminating the threat of the future, both in terms of the drones, the missiles, as well as the navy.”

Cooper also said it isn’t time for the Iranian public to come to the streets, although both Israel and the U.S. have said they hope the Iranian public would topple the country’s theocracy as a result of the strikes.

“They’re launching missiles and drones from populated areas and you need to stay inside for right now,” Cooper said. “There will be a clear signal at some point, as the president has indicated, for you to be able to come out.”

Latest reports of live fire

1. An Indian living in the United Arab Emirates was hurt by falling shrapnel after the interception of a ballistic missile over an industrial area near Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, authorities said Monday

People look at residential buildings heavily damaged by an Iranian missile strike in Arad, southern Israel, Sunday, March 22, 2026.

2. Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said Monday it intercepted a ballistic missile targeting the kingdom’s capital, Riyadh, while another struck an “uninhabited area”

3. The United Arab Emirates said its air defense were working to intercept incoming missiles from Iran early Monday, without elaborating.

4. Both Bahrain and Kuwait sounded missile alerts early Monday over incoming Iranian fire, though it wasn’t clear if there was any immediate damage from the barrages.