CENTCOM, the United States Central Command, is the unified combatant command of the US military for the Middle East, Central Asia and East Africa. Headquartered forward at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, with administrative headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, it directs all US forces in the region and has run every major American operation there since its 1983 founding, from Desert Storm to the Iraq War to the 2026 Iran campaign.

The command's legal authorisation for the current campaign shifted formally on 12 May 2026, when Defence Secretary Hegseth testified that Article 2 of the US Constitution, not a Congressional authorisation for use of military force, covers the entire operation. CENTCOM enforced a naval blockade of Iranian ports from 13 April to 18 June, 66 days, redirecting well over a hundred vessels before ending enforcement one day early while both carrier strike groups remained on station with no drawdown order.

Common Questions

CENTCOM pauses strikes over munitions

What legal authority did Trump use for the June 2026 Iran strikes?

Trump invoked Article II of the US Constitution (presidential self-defence authority), citing the downed Apache as the trigger. No new AUMF was sought and no Article 51 notification was filed with the UN Security Council.Source: iran-conflict-2026

Did the US bomb Iran on 9 June 2026?

Yes. CENTCOM struck air-defence and radar sites at Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, Sirik and Jask between 22:00 GMT on 9 June and 01:00 GMT on 10 June, the first American ordnance on sovereign Iranian soil in the 2026 war.Source: iran-conflict-2026

Why did CENTCOM strike Iran during ceasefire talks in May 2026?

CENTCOM struck Bandar Abbas on 25 May 2026, destroying two IRGC mine-laying boats and a SAM site, calling it defensive self-defence. The operation was framed as a rules-of-engagement action requiring no presidential decision, separate from the diplomatic track running in Doha.Source: Lowdown Iran Conflict 2026

Reference

Where is CENTCOM headquartered?

CENTCOM's forward headquarters is at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar; the administrative headquarters is at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.

What is CENTCOM and what does it do?

CENTCOM (US Central Command) is the US military's unified combatant command for the Middle East, Central Asia, and East Africa. Established in 1983, it has directed every major US military operation in the region, including the 2026 Iran campaign.

Did CENTCOM announce a halt to strikes on Iran in July 2026?

The mutual halt lasted only four days. CENTCOM announced no new US military action against Iran on 24 July, and Iran ceased retaliating by 25 July, but US strikes resumed on 29 July 2026 after IRGC missiles hit Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, the bigger operation Trump had told Axios he was weighing.Source: Lowdown

Is the Strait of Hormuz open or closed after the 12 July 2026 strikes?

CENTCOM maintained the strait was open to lawful traffic even as it flew a 140-target strike wave, while the IRGC Navy struck a container ship and declared the strait closed the same day.Source: event

Does CENTCOM need congressional authorisation for the Iran war?

Resolved in part. On 23 July 2026 the House passed H.Con.Res.89 214-208, directing Trump to end hostilities with Iran under the War Powers Resolution (the first time either chamber had passed such a measure) but as a concurrent resolution it cannot bind the president. The Senate's companion, S.J.Res.180, failed 47-49 the same day, so no measure has passed both chambers and Hegseth's Article 2 justification remains unchallenged as binding law.Source: US Senate Appropriations Committee testimony

What is Operation EPIC FURY?

CENTCOM's name for the Iran air campaign; declared concluded on 5 May 2026 after striking 9,000 targets and destroying 130 Iranian warships in 25 days.Source: CENTCOM / war.gov

Is the blockade or the bombing more effective against Iran?

Trump told Axios on 29 April that 'the blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing.' CENTCOM has redirected 33 vessels cumulatively, but AIS-dark transits and yuan settlement are already being used to circumvent enforcement.Source: Axios

Is the US really blockading Iran?

Partially. CENTCOM narrowed Trump's full-strait blockade order to Iranian-port vessels only on 13 April. On 23 April, all five vessels transiting Hormuz ran with AIS suppressed; CENTCOM's 33-ship intercept count is now measured against a largely invisible population.Source: Lloyd's List / Lowdown

How many US aircraft carriers are near Iran right now?

Three carrier strike groups are in CENTCOM's theatre: USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Gerald R. Ford, and USS George H.W. Bush. This is the largest US naval concentration in the region since the 2003 Iraq invasion.Source: CENTCOM

Did CENTCOM really halt all shipping into Iran?

CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper claimed US forces had 'completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea' on 15 April. Independent maritime data from Kpler logged at least 8 ships crossing Hormuz the same window, contradicting the claim.Source: CENTCOM

What happened at the Strait of Hormuz after the Iran ceasefire?

CENTCOM ended the 66-day naval blockade on 18 June 2026 but Left carrier strike groups on station. On 25-27 June, IRGC drones struck two vessels in the IMO corridor, stranding ~11,000 seafarers after the corridor was suspended. CENTCOM responded on 26 June with strikes on Qeshm Island and Sirik, declaring Iran in Ceasefire violation.Source: iran-conflict-2026 update 140

How many ships has CENTCOM stopped at the Strait of Hormuz?

CENTCOM redirected 70 vessels cumulatively by 19 May 2026, rising from 61 on 10 May. The blockade narrowed to Iranian-port-bound vessels only on 13 April; it runs alongside a Project Freedom escort mission for civilian shipping in the same strait.Source: Lowdown Iran Conflict 2026

How many Iranian ships has the US destroyed in the 2026 war?

CENTCOM destroyed 130 Iranian warships in the first 25 days of the conflict and struck more than 9,000 targets in total. By 19 May 2026 it had redirected 70 vessels at the Hormuz blockade.Source: Lowdown Iran Conflict 2026

Who is in charge of US military operations against Iran?

CENTCOM, the US Central Command, under Admiral Brad Cooper. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth provides civilian authority. All strikes, the Hormuz blockade, and the escort mission run through CENTCOM.Source: Lowdown Iran Conflict 2026

Why are US aircraft carriers still in the Gulf after the Iran deal?

CENTCOM ended blockade enforcement on 18 June 2026 but issued no drawdown order for the USS Abraham Lincoln or USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike groups. The carriers that enforced the blockade remained on station even as enforcement ceased, maintaining a military presence while the Islamabad MOU's 60-day negotiating window runs.Source: event

How did CENTCOM narrow Trump's blockade order?

CENTCOM quietly narrowed Trump's full-strait Truth Social blockade order to Iranian-port vessels only on 13 April, without a public announcement. The gap between Trump's broad declaration and CENTCOM's operational implementation is a defining feature of the Iran campaign.Source: editorial

Why did CENTCOM strike Qeshm Island after the Iran MOU?

CENTCOM struck Qeshm Island missile and drone storage on 26 June 2026 in response to an IRGC one-way drone attack on the Singapore-flagged M/V Ever Lovely in the IMO Hormuz evacuation corridor the previous day. CENTCOM declared Iran had "clearly violated the Ceasefire" and released strike video.Source: iran-conflict-2026 update 140

Has CENTCOM struck Iran since the ceasefire deal was signed?

Yes. On **26 June 2026**, ten days into the Islamabad MOU's 60-day window, CENTCOM aircraft struck missile and drone storage on Qeshm Island and a coastal radar near Sirik, the first US kinetic strike on Iranian soil since the 16 June MOU. CENTCOM declared Iran had "clearly violated the Ceasefire" by targeting corridor shipping.Source: iran-conflict-2026 update 140

Source Material

US Military — BBC News CENTCOM — Reuters CENTCOM — Official Website US Central Command — Wikipedia