Iran is capable of building about 50 ballistic missiles per month — roughly half its pre-war capacity — giving it a significant edge over retaliation if hostilities resume despite months of airstrikes, Bloomberg reported, citing a western intelligence report.
The US has maintained since the early days of the war that Iran’s missile arsenal and its ability to rebuild it had been severely degraded. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the US military had destroyed Iran’s navy, air force and military infrastructure. Defence secretary Pete Hegseth reiterated the claim on Tuesday, saying that 80% of Iran’s industrial base had been destroyed. However, according to Bloomberg, Iran likely has at least 1,700 ballistic missiles remaining and is continuing to produce more at roughly half its pre-war rate, a western official said, citing military intelligence assessments. Since the conflict began on February 28, Iran has launched more than 4,900 Shahed propeller-driven attack drones and at least 2,200 ballistic missiles, according to Bloomberg Economics.
In the IRGC video, published by the semi-official Fars news agency, General Ali Abdollahi, the armed forces’ chief of staff, told troops in the missile facility that “surprises in a future war will be revealed one after the other,” according to Bloomberg. Iran may also have thousands of Shahed-type attack drones remaining in its arsenal, said Jim Lamson, a visiting research fellow in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and a former CIA analyst specialising in Iran and the Middle East. Western intelligence officials have also said Russia is providing strike weapons to Iran, although the type and number are not known.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also released footage on Tuesday showing what it described as the unveiling of a new underground “missile city.
Meanwhile, Iran has laid out 7 conditions in order to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or resume negotiations with the United States.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the responsibility for the next move now rests with the US, as Iran waits for an official response to its demands. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Ghalibaf said Iran had already sent Washington a clear response outlining its conditions but had not received a specific answer.
