According to its government, the USA has destroyed many of Iran’s missiles. However, a US intelligence report now shows that it is controversial how large Iran’s remaining arsenal actually is.
March 29, 2026, 05:52March 29, 2026, 05:52
Thomas Wanhoff / t-online
According to intelligence information, the USA has only safely destroyed around a third of Iran’s missile arsenal around a month after the start of the war against Iran. This is reported by the Reuters news agency, citing five sources from US intelligence circles. The whereabouts of another third are difficult to assess: Bombing probably damaged these rockets, destroyed them or buried them in underground tunnels and bunkers, according to the informants.
An Iranian missile taking off: It is unclear how many missiles the country still has.Image: keystone
This means that a significant portion of Iran’s missiles remain either intact or at least not clearly identified. The exact location of many weapons is unclear, which makes it difficult to assess Iran’s military effectiveness.
One reason for the uncertainty apparently lies in Iran’s extensive system of underground facilities. Missiles are stored in tunnels and bunkers that are difficult to completely destroy, even through intensive air strikes. The sources emphasized that the assessment of the damage is ongoing and new findings could change the picture.
According to Reuters, the findings on Iran’s drone capability are similar; It is assumed “with a certain degree of certainty” that around a third were destroyed.
This intelligence information contradicts President Donald Trump’s public statements on Thursday that Iran had “very few missiles” left. At the same time, he apparently acknowledged that the remaining Iranian missiles and drones could pose a threat to possible future US operations to protect the economically important Strait of Hormuz.
Israel wants to destroy weapons production “in a few days”.
According to a spokesman, the Israeli military wants to have largely destroyed Iranian weapons production “in a few days”. During this period, the armed forces would “complete the attacks on all important components of the (Iranian) military industry,” army spokesman Effie Defrin told journalists in the evening (local time).
“That means we will have to destroy most of the military production capacity,” he added. “It will take the regime a long time to restore them.” The Israeli Air Force has been flying intensive strikes against Iranian military industrial targets since the start of the Iran war four weeks ago. According to the Times of Israel, the Israeli military assumes that it has already attacked around 90 percent of the key facilities in the Iranian weapons industry.
Sources used:
- reuters.com: “US can only confirm about third of Iran’s missile arsenal destroyed, sources say” (English)
- With material from the dpa news agency