The Trump administration's public portrayal of a defeated Iranian military stands in sharp contrast to what U.S. intelligence agencies are telling policymakers behind closed doors, citing classified assessments from earlier this month showing that Iran has regained access to most of its missile sites, launchers, and underground facilities, The New York Times reports, according to UNN.
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Of greatest concern to some senior officials is evidence that Iran has restored operational access to 30 of the 33 missile sites it maintains along the Strait of Hormuz, which could threaten U.S. warships and oil tankers passing through the narrow waterway.
People familiar with the assessments say they show—to varying degrees, depending on the level of damage sustained by different sites—that the Iranians can use mobile launchers located inside the facilities to move missiles to other locations. In some cases, they can launch missiles directly from launch pads that are part of these facilities. According to the assessments, only three missile complexes along the strait remain completely inaccessible.
Iran is estimated to still possess approximately 70 percent of its mobile launchers nationwide and has retained about 70 percent of its pre-war missile arsenal,
This arsenal includes both ballistic missiles capable of striking targets in other countries in the region and a smaller stockpile of cruise missiles that can be used against shorter-range targets on land or at sea.
Military intelligence agencies also reported, based on information obtained from various sources including satellite imagery and other surveillance technologies, that Iran has restored access to approximately 90 percent of its underground storage facilities and missile launchers across the country, which are now estimated to be "partially or fully functional," sources said.
These findings undermine months of public assurances from U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who told Americans that the Iranian military was "defeated" and "no longer" posed a threat, the newspaper notes.
WSJ learned that Iran still has thousands of ballistic missiles. Trump reacted11.04.26, 18:59