WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s top commander for the Middle East is headed to Israel and several other US-aligned countries in the region as the Trump administration seeks to lock in its current ceasefire with Iran in hopes of resuming diplomatic negotiations next week toward permanently ending the war.
The anticipated arrival in Israel on Thursday of US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, who oversees US Central Command, comes on the heels of a tour of Arab countries in the Gulf this week by Washington’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
It also comes as the Trump administration and Iran send conflicting messages about the post-war status quo for the region. During the five-week conflict, the Islamic Republic launched missiles into more than a dozen countries and effectively halted commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz using ballistic missiles and drones, rattling global economic projections.
Cooper’s latest diplomatic tour of the region comes as US officials led by President Donald Trump insist Iran must not collect tolls on commercial shipping via the strait, an international waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes each day.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.