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A Message to All Americans from Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander. *CENTCOM Video at link
CENTCOM ^ | CENTCOM

Posted on 09/19/2026 11:35:10 AM PDT by know.your.why

This is a short operational update posted by U.S. Central Command.

Hi, I’m Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command, here with a message to all Americans and an operational update on missions in the Middle East. CENTCOM forces have supported more than one billion barrels of crude oil leaving the Gulf. That’s one billion barrels of crude oil out through the Strait of Hormuz in the last couple of months.

We’ve reached this significant milestone while assisting over 2,000 commercial ship transits through the Strait by providing coordinated protection. Clearly, momentum is building. Primary transit lanes in the Strait are clear of mines.

Thousands of ships have passed through the Strait. Over one billion barrels of crude have been shipped from Gulf partners through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran has exported zero barrels thanks to our ironclad blockade.

The effort is paying off. The volume of crude oil, cargo, and liquid natural gas these past two weeks is higher than at any point in the past six months.

We’re also working with every partner in the region, enhancing their air defence, forming a new coalition attack drone unit, and keeping the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters open and clear.


(Excerpt) Read more at centcom.mil ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Iran; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: centcom; energy; iran; navy; oil; straitofhormuz; tankers; usnavy
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1 posted on 09/19/2026 11:35:10 AM PDT by know.your.why
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To: know.your.why

Now we just need a message to the Iranian people:

“Hi, I’m Admiral Brad Cooper, the loud noises you’re hearing are explosions from 500 lb bombs and will be getting louder over the course of the next couple of weeks.”


2 posted on 09/19/2026 11:49:31 AM PDT by fruser1
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To: know.your.why

The headline “A Message to All Americans from Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander” gave me an “Uh oh, now what?” feeling.

Glad to hear the good news from Adm. Cooper. But it seems very odd for CENTCOM Commander to be speaking directly to the American people.


3 posted on 09/19/2026 11:51:32 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: know.your.why

Hey Brad… why don’t you quote Lloyd’s intelligence data showing the percent of loaded LNG and oil tankers using the northern route i.e. the ships that paid the Iranian toll and were escorted safely through?

Cat got your tongue? Here’s the data. 70% of all tankers in the last week of August and 75% of all tankers in the first week of September cooperated with Iranian officials, paid the toll and we’re escorted through.


4 posted on 09/19/2026 11:51:35 AM PDT by Antioch (A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished -Friedrich Schi)
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To: Antioch
Here’s the data. 70% of all tankers in the last week of August and 75% of all tankers in the first week of September cooperated with Iranian officials, paid the toll and we’re escorted through.

Source, if you please. Thank you.

5 posted on 09/19/2026 12:05:32 PM PDT by fidelis (Ecce Crucem Domini! Fugite partes adversae! Vicit Leo de tribu Juda, Radix David! Alleluia!)
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To: Antioch

How are things going up there in Canadia?


6 posted on 09/19/2026 12:06:21 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th ( I am obsessed with not being obsessed with anything.)
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To: know.your.why

If you had a Democrat in office, the media coverage would be entirely different.

It really is that simple.

All the major outlets are unofficial party press offices. NONE of them are objective and neutral, fact based. CNN, MSNBC.... Democrats and a Fox Republican. It’s about a 80% pro Democrat and 20% pro Republican split.

The owners and heads running these are flat out party members in most cases. The editors are politically aligned as are the journalists themselves who overwhelmingly vote Democrat. In such a world, and without any accountability (libel / slander is hard to win in court) nor true professional standards institutionally or personal, you just get this far left drivel in the US that is we refer to as news but is usually weak on facts and HIGHLY spun based on who is in office and how this benefits or hurts them.

If it could benefit Trump, they won’t even cover it in many cases.

Look at the coverage of Obama and how he made immigration changes which let many from places like Africa in? Look at how they refused to cover the crime connected with the southern border, or election fraud. Where were the stories of how fuel prices were crushing Americans when they were even HIGHER under Biden? J6 was just copy and paste from what the Democrats told them. Covid was real and went unquestioned. Ukraine was an awesome and fantastic war we need to get tangled up in even though NO ONE can answer how this makes us safer, wealthier or more free. After 4 years, $195 billion, 240 dead Americans during Biden, not one story about this being a “forever war,” if it was a avoidable, why we don’t negotiate an end, or how we are losing even thought Ukraine FAILED to achieve both their political and military objectives. In Iran you had all these negative stories after months two!!!

When Democrats are in office, the sun is shining and birds are chirping. Wars started under them are good wars.

Trump is in office. Now wars are all bad and failures.

Our news media would be willing to jeopardize our national security interests AND risk our service members lives so they can score some cheap shots at Trump politically, that is how scummy they are.


7 posted on 09/19/2026 12:06:57 PM PDT by Red6
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To: fruser1
Now we just need a message to the Iranian people:

Heres an old favorite from October 2001:

Humour Fw: First Annual Kabul, Afghanistan Air Show Scheduled:

Citizens of Afghanistan are reportedly looking forward with great anticipation to reports of an international air show to be held in the skies over their nation.

An unnamed official informed us that "Now the rest of the world will look upon our beloved city with great honor just as they do Farnborough, England and Paris, France", referring to the sites of two other famous international air shows.

The exact date and time of the upcoming Kabul International Air Show has not yet been announced. It is believed that event organizers feel that such an announcement would detract from the fun of the celebration by, "spoiling the surprise".

Unlike most air shows the Kabul Air Show will feature almost no static ground displays but will have an unusually high number of aerial demonstrations and fly-bys. "We are most pleased by this feature of our air show. Instead of a lot of different kinds of airplanes just sitting around on the tarmac, the aircraft attending our show will actually be up in the air demonstrating what they do best!" we were told.

Participation will probably be heaviest by aircraft of the United States Air Force and Marine Corps. Including appearances by F-15's, F-16's, A-10's, B-52's and Apache helicopters. It is rumored that opening ceremonies will feature a tomahawk-cruise fireworks display. A few B-2's, and F-117A's may also help out in some unseen capacity.

Several other counties have expressed an interest in sending representatives. These include all nineteen nations in the NATO alliance as well as Australia. The excitement generated for this gala event has even prompted the Israeli Air Force to apply for participation.

Of course, no one is more excited than the Afghan people themselves. Great numbers of them are in the streets of Kabul looking constantly heavenward in gratitude for the historic event, which will soon take place in their skies.

It has been observed that some are so concerned about missing the show that even as they bow to the East they keep snatching worried glances towards the West. Thousands, in fact, have been seen leaving the city and fleeing to the mountains carrying food and blankets - obviously anxious to get a good vantage point for the air show, and to make a picnic of it.


8 posted on 09/19/2026 12:12:13 PM PDT by know.your.why
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To: know.your.why

Oops. Replace “Afghanistan” with “Iran”.


9 posted on 09/19/2026 12:13:25 PM PDT by know.your.why
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To: fidelis

Beat me to it.


10 posted on 09/19/2026 12:25:30 PM PDT by Lee'sGhost ("Just look at the flowers, Lizzie. Just look at the flowers.")
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To: fruser1

My first thought was, “Look up”.


11 posted on 09/19/2026 12:29:19 PM PDT by Eli Kopter (B''H We are given a new day today, with new choices. Choose wisely!)
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To: Antioch

Old information, but the media relies on emotion, not facts. August? Really? A month is a lifetime in war. The IRGC are on the ropes and will be destroyed. There strategy is to appeal to low information voters in the US so they can defeat the Republicans at the mid-terms and hopefully get crooked Democrats in their corner. It has worked in the past and that is all they have left, but they are a lot of suckers in the US.


12 posted on 09/19/2026 12:33:05 PM PDT by Eli Kopter (B''H We are given a new day today, with new choices. Choose wisely!)
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To: fidelis

Sources are Kpler and Lloyds Seasearcher
Percentages tell just part of the story. For the two weeks query 2025 vs 2026 (end of August and beginning of September):

* Loaded outbound LNG tanker traffic fell essentially 100% to ZERO transits for the two weeks 2025 vs 2026.
* Loaded outbound crude-tanker traffic fell from approximately 60 ships in 2025 down to 29 ships in 2026 or a 50% decline.

And, as mentioned before, of the 29 ships that got through, 70-75% did it through the northern route with Iranian tolls and approvals

IGNORE Centcom Goebbels up there lying to the American public about how the military is turning the tide. It’s not. It’s losing. If it were winning, you wouldn’t be paying $6 for diesel (soon to be $12).


13 posted on 09/19/2026 12:52:05 PM PDT by Antioch (A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished -Friedrich Schi)
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To: Antioch

We could collapse the domestic price of diesel overnight.

We gave 4.08 billion gallons in reserves right now domestically. A simple EO banning the export of a single gallon of that drops the price by half or more over night in fact refineries would need to throttle back production to avoid a total glut market.

We won’t because it would crash the EU markets the same day and give Russia the upper hand should they resume diesel exports and China too they are the 3rd or 4th largest exporter depending on what India is doing. It would be a windfall for the American consumer but a bloodbath for domestic refineries would loose the record profits they are turning right now and my oil stocks would crash too so nah lets keep being the number 1 diesel exporter in the world a lot of people are making bank off it.

I just bill the rig or geosci group any fuel costs and a admin fee to invoice them baked in as does every other corp who burns diesel its a zero sum game for biz the cost plus admin is passed on always.

So pick your poison crash domestic diesel and take down the EU while giving a huge in to Russia and China or SFFU and let the markets work in war time.


14 posted on 09/19/2026 1:05:42 PM PDT by GenXPolymath
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To: Red6
. . . that is how scummy they are.

You've just begun to scratch the surface with your examples.

Look how a kid like Nick Shirley finds stories like the "Learing Center" scandal. Now he is going to Mexico City to interview illegal immigrants bound for the United States and interviewing those on the streets of New York City already here.

Our mainstream media makes Vidkun Quisling look fair and balanced!

15 posted on 09/19/2026 1:41:57 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (The politicized state destroys many aspects of civil society, human kindness and private charity.)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

It’s an election year and it ain’t lookin’ to special for the pubbies right now.


16 posted on 09/19/2026 1:46:29 PM PDT by VTenigma (Conspiracy theory is the new "spoiler alert")
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To: VTenigma

I can’t wrap my head around this one.


17 posted on 09/19/2026 2:38:31 PM PDT by Tommy Revolts (a.k.a Warpaint)
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To: Antioch

Why do you care? Canadians hate us anyway.

MYOB.

It’s worth it to defeat the biggest world sponsor of terrorism.

You’re welcome.


18 posted on 09/19/2026 2:44:45 PM PDT by Fledermaus (Free Republic is going to be intolerable during the Republican Presidential primary in 2028.)
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To: Antioch

Lloyds is a pretty biased source these days, aren’t they, considering how needy they are in the business of insurance fees for ships?

That’s quite a lucrative biz, normally. Been hanging their hat on that for ages.


19 posted on 09/19/2026 2:49:29 PM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

If the announcement came from President DJT “everyone” would ignore it.
I’m being sarcastic.


20 posted on 09/19/2026 3:29:41 PM PDT by Shady (#EnoughIsEnough, and we have HAD ENOUGH!)
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